Goodbye MICHAEL JACKSON!!

MICHAEL JACKSON
R.I.P.

A lot of TRIBUTE have been made already but here's "The Dr. Stirring Rhod Way" of giving my last farewell and due respect to the "KING OF POP" none other than Michael Joseph Jackson aka. "MICHAEL JACKSON". As the HEADLINE of the MANILA BULLETIN that I bought would go "POP ICON IS GONE". I love NEW WAVE, POST-PUNK, and PUNK ROCK music but I have to admit that I also love to listen to the music of MICHAEL JACKSON. YUP!! I grew up also listening to MJ's great tunes. Of course, who would forget his classic Moonwalk Dance. A TRUE POP ICON indeed!! MJ really live a controversial life but It's just to early for him to leave us only at 50 years old. Well, I myself have dance to some of his classic songs back in the 80s and definitely I also love his "THRILLER" album. I even bought the 25th ANNIVERSARY CD of THRILLER last year when It became available here in MANILA. Btw, I have an MJ blogpost last JANUARY 21, 2009 and little do I know that six months later MJ will pass away because of CARDIAC ARREST. Well, I rather would like to see him in HOUSE ARREST than that of a CARDIAC ARREST. A lot of people have asked me what CARDIAC ARREST is. So what's Cardiac Arrest in my MEDICAL FIELD point of view? It is when the heart actually stops beating which can be due to several factors including medications and can also follow a heart attack if too much of the heart muscle dies. It's very different from a HEART ATTACK in a way because in Heart Attack a portion of the heart muscle dies because of a blockage of the coronary arteries that usually supplies blood to the heart muscle. MICHAEL JACKSON's early death at 50 have been compared to the death of ELVIS PRESLEY who incidentally was his FATHER-IN-LAW. I was really saddened when I got to hear the news on my way to work that morning. WOW!! MJ is dead!! I can't truly believe it myself. This just reminds us that EVERYONE IS MORTAL and LIFE IS SHORT so we must live it to the fullest while we are all still here on earth. It's a GLOBAL MOURNING indeed!!



The day MICHAEL died is LIKE THE DAY KENNEDY died according to the PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER which I also bought. Definitely, one person that would be missed around the world despite the series of controversies he was involved with. It's also sad to think that he passed away just few days before his said COMEBACK CONCERT in LONDON. I guess that was not meant to happened. Talking about expecting the unexpected. I wonder what would happen to the concert tickets of the POLITICIANS here in MANILA who bought them at a staggering price. Naaah!! I hope that's not from the TAX PAYERS MONEY okay.

Why was he called the "KING OF POP"? A lot of people have criticized MJ saying that he self-proclaimed the term. Well, here's a VIDEO of ELIZABETH TAYLOR with EDDIE MURPHY back in 1989. ELIZABETH TAYLOR was considered to have first coined the term "KING OF POP" for MJ back in 1989.


I also took a photo of this great page on the MANILA BULLETIN featuring the brief HISTORY of MICHAEL JACKSON and his career.


Unfortunately, I was not able to watch MICHAEL JACKSON LIVE IN MANILA back in 1996.MJ also visited and gave donations on a children hospital before he performed that night here in MANILA. The caretakers of MJ's NEVERLAND which was opened back in 1988 was a FILIPINO couple.


Btw, another T.V. ICON also passed away the same day MICHAEL JACKSON did. REST IN PEACE too MISS FARAH FAWCETT due to ANAL CANCER. FARAH was also very popular here in the PHILIPPINES as one of the CHARLIE'S ANGELS back on those days. YUP!! I can still remember watching CHARLIE'S ANGELS on television courtesy of GMA 7 back in the late 70's up to the early 80s. LIFE is really fragile indeed.

HERE ARE SOME VIDEOS THAT YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED TO WATCH:

DANCING INMATES
THRILLER YouTube MEGAHIT 2007
1,500 plus CPDRC inmates of the
Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center,
Cebu, Philippines
(Courtesy of byronfgarcia)


NEVER ENDING MOONWALK
(Courtesy of Littlepanki)



There are two 80s ICONS here in MANILA who were really influenced by MICHAEL JACKSON. YUP!! "Mr. PURE ENERGY" himself GARY VALENCIANO aka. "GARY V." and of course fellow Blue And Gold and considered as "The DAVID LETTERMAN of the PHILIPPINES " none other than Mr. JOJO ALEJAR. These two guys were interviewed respectively by different television stations regarding the death of MJ and definitely admitted they were badly affected by MJ's death. Both GARY V. and JOJO even cried hearing this sad news.

SO HERE'S GARY and JOJO:


GARY V.



JOJO ALEJAR and THE TIGERS
(PENTHOUSE LIVE 1982)
(Courtesy of kkisser)


Btw, If you haven't read my BEAT IT/EAT IT blogpost last JANUARY 21, 2009 just click the photo of MJ and WEIRD AL to enter my blogpost six months ago.


I've also included here in my blogpost the music of THE BOLHOI with their version of BILLIE JEAN which is an NU107 CLASIC. YUP!! This BILLIE JEAN rendition of THE BOLHOI was first played by NU107 back in 1988. THE BOLSHOI was a NEW WAVE BAND that made it big here in MANILA with such songs as SUNDAY MORNING and AWAY just to name a few, and these two songs are XB CLASSICS or what PINOY WAVERS would call 102 MUSIC.THE BOLSHOI playing a MICHAEL JACKSON song? WOW!! AMAZING INDEED!!


LISTEN TO THE BOLSHOI's "BILLIE JEAN" HERE:


Well, that's my little TRIBUTE to THE LATE MICHAEL JACKSON. I just can't imagine writing the word "LATE" before the name of MJ. Wheeew!! YUP!! MJ is dead!! Definitely a lot of FILIPINOS would missed MJ. MAY HE REST IN PEACE!!



MICHAEL JACKSON
(August 29,1958- June 25,2009)
May you REST IN PEACE!!
.......AMEN!!
-DR. STIRRING RHOD-

GANG OF FOUR

GANG OF FOUR is an ENGLISH POST-PUNK/ROCK GROUP composed of Four Young Men in their early twenties who convened in the late 70s in Leeds. The band's line-up are lead singer JOHN KING, guitarist ANDY GILL, bass guitarist DAVE ALLEN and drummer HUGO BURNHAM. These guys should not be mistaken from the Chinese Communist Party Officials who were prominent during the 60s-70s Chinese Revolution who were also called Gang Of Four. GANG OF FOUR was introduced here in MANILA by WXB102 back in 1986 by playing the classic slam-dancing hit "DAMAGED GOODS". YUP!! It's the one and only big hit from the band here in MANILA back then. Even though there were quite a few songs from the band that were played during those times, all of these cannot be compared with the popularity of their song DAMAGED GOODS. Alhough WXB102 first played the song back in 1986, It was both NU107 and DZBM POWER 105 that actually made it very popular and to be exact of the term I have to say that these two radio stations "COMMERCIALIZED" the song. NU107 overplayed the song on early 1988 and DZBM POWER105 on the otherhand organized a NEW WAVE afternoon party entitled "DAMAGED GOODS" held at the Legendary JEALOUSY DISCO back in 1988 and "DAMAGED GOODS 2" at the Legendary WHISPERS DISCO wayback 1989 which I have mentioned here in my blog "The Doctor Is In" on my 33 1/3 BLOGPOST last December 11, 2008.


GANG OF FOUR is one high energy rockin' band that has lasted for more than three decades now and have mixed contemporary funk and reggae rhythms that tore the music down into a new dimension with a hard fast attitude. Definitely, this band made a mark for PINOY NEW WAVERS and PUNKS alike back in the 80s. POWER105 included their songs "I LOVE THE MAN IN THE UNIFORM" and "IS IT LOVE" in their playlist wayback 1988. Would you believe that I even heard "CHEESE BURGER" song a couple of times on Power105? Hmmmp!! The song CHEESE BURGER just reminded me of a usual sponsor of DZBM POWER 105 back then which is SCOTT BURGER. YUP!! I remember the RADIO AD of this Burger Chain on the station and of course eating that SCOTT POWER BURGER (Buy One Take One) back in the 80s. He He He!! POWER burger? I guess that would be related to POWER105. What do you think guys? I wonder what Burger Machine(BM) would have to say about this since It's DZBM-FM. Naaaah!! Whenever you talk about GANG OF FOUR here in the PHILIPPINES then It's got to be "DAMAGED GOODS" Ohooo hoo hoo....send me back"!! Definitely, "YOUR KISS SO SWEET, YOUR SWEAT SO SOUR" is a classic line for PINOY WAVERS/PUNKS during parties back then. Wheeew!! Those were the good ol' days indeed KABAYANS!! Slamdancing time I may say!! He He He!! DAMAGED GOODS was also included on a Philippine New Wave Cassette Tape Compilation entitled "DIFFERENT TRIBES" released wayback 1988.Unfortunately my friend JACK J. doesn't have this compilation tape anymore on his vaults. GANG OF FOUR released FIVE STUDIO ALBUMS namely Entertainment! (1979), Solid Gold (1981), Songs Of The Free (1982), Hard (1983),Mall (1991) and Shrinkwrapped (1995).



GANG OF FOUR has been doing LIVE CONCERTS the past decade which I think is good for the NEW GENERATION of music enthusiasts to catch up with the band. In 2005 Gang Of Four re-recorded a 2-CD compilation of the band's favorite tunes entitled "Return The Gift" wherein all the tracks were lifted from their first three studio albums namely ENTERTAINMENT, SOLID GOLD, and SONGS OF THE FREE. This compilation featured Mark Heaney on drums while Hugo Burnham left to focus on his successful academic career in the USA. In April 2008 Dave Allen left to be replaced by Thomas McNiece. Last year 2008 we saw the release of a Brand New Single from the band entitled "SECOND LIFE" which I heard played on NU107.

Here's My GANG OF 3 GANG OF FOUR collection:


That's Three GANG OF FOUR MATERIALS from my Modest Collection:

1) "HARD" Vinyl Record
2) "GANG OF FOUR (A Brief History Of The Twentieth Century)" CD
3) "RETURN THE GIFT" CD

Well, not that much but these three materials have satisfied my GANG OF FOUR cravings. Who knows I might add some more in the near future. Incidentally, my good friend "The Beatmeister" made a New Wave Mix recently on his "Totally Mixed Up" Blog entitled "DAMAGED GOODS Slam Dance Mix". Click the Red GANG OF FOUR picture to enter BEAT's blog and listen to "The Beatmeister Mix":

Here's a VINTAGE PHOTO of "DAMAGE GOOD" 1988 PARTY TICKET
JEALOUSY DISCO:

Courtesy of Nilo X

Here's a VINTAGE PHOTO of "DAMAGED GOODS 2" 1989 PARTY TICKET
WHISPER DISCO

Courtesy of ERIC PASCUAL of 33 1/3


Two weeks ago, as I was browsing the Multiply World, I got the chance to see this Party Poster from DJ Mike Timbol of Legendary Manila New Wave Mobile 33 1/3 entitled "DAMAGED GOODS 2 Send Me Back Into A Journey Of NEW WAVE Music". Then, I remembered my very own 33 1/3 blogpost last year that there was already a "DAMAGED GOODS 2" back in 1989 and so I informed DJ MIKE about what I noticed. YUP!! He was unaware of it and was amazed that it should be "DAMAGED GOODS 3" already. He He He!! DJ MIKE THANKED me on the said correction then immediately changed the Party Poster to the right one which is "DAMAGED GOODS III".

Here's the supposed "DAMAGED GOODS 2" Party Poster:


Here's the corrected "DAMAGED GOODS III" Party Poster


So KABAYANS if you're free this JUNE 27, 2009 Saturday then do check out "DAMAGED GOODS III" party at CABIZERRA BISTRO Congressional Avenue Quezon City. Just click the poster to read the finer details. YUP!! It has been 20 years since the "DAMAGED GOODS 2" party was held and now It's back.


Definitely GANG OF FOUR's "DAMAGED GOODS" will always be on the memories of every PINOY NEW WAVERS and PUNKS!!

Here's Gang of Four Video Damaged Goods
LIVE in Atlanta, GA in 1980.
Courtesy TralfamadorianRed





Btw, just for added INFO here's a photo of the original CHINESE GANG OF FOUR composed of JIANG QUING(leader), ZHANG CHUNQIAO, YAO WENYUAN, and WANG HONGWEN.

Here's what our FAVORITE ARTISTS would have to say about GANG OF FOUR:

"Hard, angular, bold... Andy Gill's chin is the very black hole of '90's music we should have all disappeared into... if we had sense... a dimple atop the body politic, a pimple on the arse of pop. A Gang of Four metal guru, a corporation of common sense, a smart bomb of text that had me 'at home feeling like a typist.'"
- Bono (U2)


"Gang of Four knew how to swing. I stole a lot from them."
- Michael Stipe (R.E.M.)

"(They) took no prisoners. It was art meets the devil via James Brown"
- Michael Hutchence (INXS)

I uploaded three music files for you to listen to here in my blog.


LISTEN and SING to "DAMAGED GOODS" HERE:



- Gang Of Four Lyrics


LISTEN TO "I LOVE THE MAN IN THE UNIFORM"

LISTEN TO DAMAGED GOOD 2005 version from "RETURN THE GIFT"





Well, I do hope you ENJOYED another trip down memory lane courtesy of "The Doctor Is In". It's just my own little tribute to a band called "GANG OF FOUR". THANKS for dropping by!!


My GANG OF FOUR blogpost
is a DAMAGED GOOD
.....Ohoo hoo hoo!!
-DR. STIRRING RHOD

DEAD POP STARS

DEAD POP STARS is a PINOY MORRISSEY/THE SMITHS TRIBUTE BAND that was officially formed back in 1999. I was able to get some INFOS about this great PINOY BAND courtesy of POGZ(DEAD POP STARS lead vocalist) who I personally consider to be the "PINOY MOZ". It was wayback 2004 when I first heard about DEAD POP STARS from my brother who is a Dentist and sometimes a band sessionist when he, together with his friends,were able to watch the band back in 2004 at KLUB102 and their group was approached by POGZ after the gig thanking them for attending the gig. Hmmmp!! Talking about hospitality He He He!! Well, for today's blogpost we will be talking about the story of the DEAD POP STARS. According to RUDOLF "POGZ" PAZ, It was KARLO SANTOS ( guitarist/drummer), who really formed the band back in 1999 after coming from another band named POLYESTER who POGZ personally considered as the FIRST PINOY BRITISH POP INFLUENCED BAND of the 1990s. KARLO asked POGZ to join him in forming a band that would play THE SMITHS music since KARLO's attention as a musician was caught by THE SMITHS' guitar lines and style. At first POGZ never thought that KARLO was really serious in picking him as the vocalist of the band. KARLO wants to venture into a different type of music and this time he wants to play the guitar. Thus, DEAD POP STARS was born!! It was only after few months of practices when the guys really decided to go up and play LIVE on stage. DEAD POP STARS aka. DPS have indeed made a mark on the Pinoy Underground Music Scene. Hmmmp!! DPS also sounds like one of my all-time favorite movies "The Dead Poet Society". Well, definitely nothing to do with the band. He He He!! Actually, I love the song of ALTERED IMAGES entitled DEAD POP STARS which the group got their name.

So Why "Dead Pop Stars"? Well, this is what POGZ have to say about it: "It was a song by the Altered Images. Sounds negative right? Well it wasn't at all. It was a tribute for a band, a scene, a person that's gone. literally and not literally dead".

"At the record company meeting
On their hands - at last ! - a dead star !
But they can never taint you in my eyes

No, they can never touch you now

No, they cannot hurt you, my darling
They cannot touch you now
But me and my 'true love' Will never meet again "

The Smiths - Paint a Vulgar Picture

THE ORIGINAL LINE:

Pogz Paz
Karlo Santos
R2 Pioquinto
Allan Hernandez (Late Isabel)
Miclo Rosario

THE PRESENT LINE UP (2009):
(Photos Courtesy of Sir GEORGE FREDERICK of WXB102)

POGZ PAZ

KARLO SANTOS

R2 PIOQUINTO

RAIN PAGGAO (Half Life Half Death)


Here are the other questions I personally asked POGZ for this DEAD POP STARS blogpost of mine and his replies are indicated:

Why did you choose "The Smiths" and MOZ to cover?
POGZ: As i've said earlier we find it very challenging. from the way they play the instruments to the manner of writing songs. No other reason for us to write songs nor release an album. Just sing the "songs that saved our lives"

What are the musical tastes/influences of the members?

POGZ: Well of course everybody loves new wave & rock & roll. but as we go down the funnel we all got stuck with Morrissey & the Smiths.

What characteristics of MOZ do you admire and what are those that you hate?

POGZ: Very realistic yet very hard to predict.

First ever GIG?
POGZ: The last quarter of 1999 it was the first official gig. We joined Mayric's New Wave Production called Back to the Edge playing some Wild Swans, The Church, The Smiths , Echo & The Bunnymen & Railway Children. Probably for just a few months til we decided to go All MOZ / All Smiths.

Most Memorable Gig?
POGZ: Every gig is quite memorable but Klub Fluid in Ortigas is very very exceptional. it's a production hosted by New Wave 101 egroup called "Dreams Never End". It was a gathering of all tribes, from rockers to punk to goth to music collectors.

Worst GIG?
POGZ: To be honest we havent played a good gig. because we haven't played as a good or well rehearsed band. Unless we do it for a living hehehe.

What was the feeling fronting the GLJ CONCERT?
POGZ: It was really flattering to be picked as an opening act for a foreign band. everything flowed smoothly because we played for the New Wave crowd and we never felt out of place.

Any plans of releasing an album?

POGZ: What for?

Any original compositions to be released?

POGZ: Do we have to?

How do you find the band right now?

POGZ: I am really comfortable with the present line up. no hassles or whatsoever. still, we don't want to perform regularly.

Favorite MORRISSEY song?
POGZ: "I Have Forgiven Jesus".

Favorite THE SMITHS song?
POGZ: "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want".

The DEAD POP STARS was featured on TRIBUNE MAGAZINE and I've included it also here in my blogpost.
--------------------------------------------------------------

The Songs That Saved Your Life - part 2

Dead Pop Stars were formed in 1999, in Marikina City, in the Philippines. They are based in Manila. Rudolf 'Pogz' Paz is their 'Morrissey'

Q: Is there something about the Smiths' and Morrissey's music which appeals to young Filipino people in the same way that it appeals to young people in other countries with a Spanish influence?
A: I don't think the Spanish influence has any relevance. The Smiths and Morrissey have always been popular in this country, in the mainstream and in the underground. Maybe yes and maybe no – there is something about the music that speaks to the Filipino people. I guess it depends on the individual, on how he looks on the music. At first you'd think it's all about death, misery and depression. But if you look at it from a different angle, it's not from Morrissey's pen. It's from his eyes. The words he writes are the things he sees in reality.

Q: What do you draw from Morrissey's lyrics?
A: They inspire me to be a stronger individual.

Q: Has Morrissey ever played in the Philippines?
A: In my dreams

Q: Have you ever seen Morrissey live?
A: I wish I could. A glimpse of his shadow would do.

Q: If you ever met Morrissey, what would you say to him?
A: "What took you so long?"

Q: What sort of people come to your gigs?
A: Thirtysomethings. But we've spotted some teens watching us. There's a group called 'The Smiths of Makati' who follow us around.

---------------------------------------------------------------

The DEAD POP STARS also fronted the GENE LOVES JEZEBEL concert here in MANILA last year NOVEMBER 17, 2008 at the HARD ROCK CAFE which I was able to watch. GREAT CONCERT INDEED!!

DPS on GLJ CONCERT:

POGZ Close Encounter

with MICHAEL ASTON of GENE LOVES JEZEBEL

As far as I can recall The DEAD POP STARS sang a total of 10 songs on that GLJ concert. NICE SET I may say and It was the first time for me to watch them perform LIVE.

DEAD POP STARS celebrates
MOZ 50th B-DAY




Well. according to POGZ it took him more than a week to really recover from the hype of this concert tribute to MOZ for his 50th Birthday. He was personally glad that a lot of people attended the said event and it was very successful. He met also some fans who were really in their kind of music. POGZ told me that someone even flew down from CEBU just to see them perform LIVE that night. Wheeew!! Someone even kissed him at the back. Talking about SUPPORTERS I suppose. I'm just glad that it was indeed very successful since It was the only Philippine Official Celebration for the 5oth Birthday for MORRISSEY.

HERE ARE TWO VIDEOS OF THE SAID CONCERT:
HAIRDRESSER ON FIRE:



THE MORE YOU IGNORE ME, THE CLOSER I GET

(The TWO VIDEOS Courtesy of CEILINGSTARS)

DEAD POP STARS MOZ 50th BDAY SET LIST
(Photo Courtesy of Captainfauxpas)


Btw, talking about MOZ Birthday, I mentioned on my SPECIAL LITEWAVE BLOGPOST before that DEAD POP STARS was one of the band that was invited to play on their LITEWAVE SESSIONS back in 2004. FYI, the band incidentally performed their set on MAY 22, 2004 SATURDAY. YUP!! It was MOZ 45th Birthday. I still remember their set back then. Wheeew!! I have to say that was one GREAT LIVE SET. Unfortunately, the band doesn't have a copy of that session that they can share to us here in my blogpost. My favorite song they played that night would be their version of "SUEDEHEAD". Their version of "HOW SOON IS NOW" rocked the session too and it gave RON SOUTH some goosebumps hearing the INTRO of the song. DId you know that POGZ and the rest of the guys were the first ones to play the song "IRISH BLOOD, ENGLISH HEART" by MORRISSEY on PHILIPPINE RADIO? YUP!! I remember RON SOUTH(LITEWAVE's DJ) introducing the song on radio for the first time and of course the CD was courtesy of POGZ. Few days later, I heard the song being played on NU107, then the other MANILA radio stations followed.

POGZ very own

MORRISSEY/THE SMITHS
COLLECTION

WOW!! THAT"S A GREAT MORRISSEY AND THE SMITHS COLLECTION!! According to POGZ the only missing Vinyl on his collection is the copy of THE SMITHS' "THERE'S A LIGHT THAT NEVER GOES OUT". Personally, I haven't known any PINOY NEW WAVER having an EXTENSIVE MOZ/SMITHS set before until I saw POGZ collection over at his Multiply Site two years ago. Btw, he removed these photos on his site over a year already and good thing I was able to save a copy of it. He He He!! Very timely for my DEAD POP STARS post.

HERE'S A VIDEO OF DEAD POP STARS singing
"WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE" by THE SMITHS.

AND HERE'S MORRISSEY AND THE SMITHS SINGING
"WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE":

So KABAYANS, What difference did you notice? Hmmmp!! So WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE? He He He!! COOL Don't you think?

I uploaded 7 songs from DEAD POP STARS for you guys to DOWNLOAD. So while downloading the music file just listen first to two of their songs namely BACK TO THE OLD HOUSE and HOW SOON IS NOW which I made available here on my little blog. NICE VOCALS by POGZ I may say. YUP!! Sounds like MOZ indeed!! THANKS POGZ for sharing these songs!!

LISTEN HERE:
BACK TO THE OLD HOUSE



LISTEN HERE:
HOW SOON IS NOW?


DEAD POP STARS
TRACKLIST:

1) ASK
2) BACK TO THE OLD HOUSE (RAIN SESSION)
3) HEAVEN KNOWS I'M MISERABLE NOW
4) HOW SOON IS NOW?
5) IRISH BLOOD, ENGLISH HEART
6) SOME GIRLS ARE BIGGER THAN OTHERS(Rehearsal)
7) THIS CHARMING MAN (soundcheck)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD:


PASSWORD: http://docmuzic.blogspot.com/

According to POGZ some songs that I uploaded were from their gig at FREEDOM BAR wayback year 2000. I hope you guys enjoyed this blogpost of mine about DEAD POP STARS. YUP!! It's "The Dr. Stirring Rhod Way" again of giving tribute to another unique PINOY BAND that can be included on the NEW WAVE GENRE. THANKS for dropping by!! I wanna THANK POGZ for trusting my humble blog "The Doctor Is In" to feature his band "DEAD POP STARS".They surely aren't dead!!

They are the DPS!!
The DEAD POP STARS!!
Definitely, Performing Smiths!!

-DR. STIRRING RHOD

CAFFEINE

CAFFEINE was a PINOY NEW WAVE BAND that was formed some time in AUGUST 2000 when EDWARD LUNA(vocalist) and ROMMEL GONZALES (bass) thought of forming a band after watching a "BACK TO THE EDGE" or "BTTE" concert at MAYRICS because both were also part of these concerts back in 1997 as a different band named CRUEL TEA. THANKS to Rommel Gonzales, MEL for short, for sharing some INFOS about CAFFEINE for this Blogpost of mine. According to MEL, both of them missed the scene already so they decided to form again a band and thus......CAFFEINE was born. I saw CAFFEINE performed LIVE only once back in 2004 few weeks before they were invited to do some LIVE SESSIONS on 103.5 KLITE's Legendary New Wave Program "LITEWAVE"and I really love their music. Like what I've indicated on my special "LITEWAVE Blogpost" before, CAFFEINE was the second PINOY BAND that was featured by LITEWAVE back in 2004 after a successful Orange And Lemons session of the said show. YUP!! The band made a great impact on that show back then. They performed both cover songs and of course their originals that included "STAY" which for me is a CLASSIC and NEW WAVISH in the true sense. Well, I got to know their vocalist ED because of this LITEWAVE session when he thanked me through text message because of my comment on their great performance that night. I was not in the K-LITE Studio back then, but just a Radio Listener. He He He!! They did an excellent set that night!!

I met the band's vocalist Edward Luna aka. EDWARD MOON/COWBOY ED weeks after their LITEWAVE SESSIONS and he gave me a RAW CDR copy of their "JOHN L.SESSION" EP which for me is an interesting EP. This is without CD cover/label, just ED's handwriting indicating It's a CAFFEINE CDR. On the otherhand, I just got to know Rommel Gonzales over at MULTIPLY and he was the one who gave me this great INFOS about the band for everyone to read in this little blog on mine "The Doctor Is In". MEL was glad and honored when I informed him that I'm interested to feature CAFFEINE here in my blog. THANKS AGAIN MEL!!


So why CAFFEINE? Well, according to MEL, ED and himself made a list of possible band names. CAFFEINE was one of them and they both liked it because it was a short name and definitely simple and easy to remember. It is also in reference to their previous band's name CRUEL TEA which has caffeine as content. Hmmmp!! Now you know the connection KABAYAN. The band's common goal was to put up a band and play only XB and BM stuffs (the obscure, the better) which is in contrast to their previous band which is a mix of 30% new wave and 70% alternative. The two new members back then were informed by both ED and MEL that CAFFEINE should play NEW WAVE and so both of them injected the music to the other two members. They let them do their stuff as long as it's in the line of NEW WAVE. Wheeew!! Talking about TRUE BLOODED PINOY NEW WAVERS. He He He!! Well, like any other bands CAFFEINE also went thru a lot of LINE-UP changes so here it goes, the list of their band line-ups courtesy of MEL.


THE FOUNDING MEMBERS
Edward Luna - vocalist
Rommel Gonzales - bass
Marlon Santos - guitars
Buboy - drums

2nd line-up
Edward Luna - vocalist
Rommel Gonzales - bass
Marlon Santos - guitars
Ludwig Valenzuela - drums

* Buboy left partly due to musical differences and TF issues. Well, sometimes the band play for crumbs just to have a gasoline budget and most of the time each members shouldered their own expenses. It's totally the music that kept the guys to go on with the band. Ludwig was recruited to fill in the gap left by Buboy.

3rd line-up
Edward Luna - vocalist
Rommel Gonzales - bass
Marlon Santos - guitars
Ludwig Valenzuela - drums
Malvin Magnayon - guitars

* Malvin was ED and MEL's guitarist in their former group CRUEL TEA so by joining the band he really put some direction to the sound and music of what they really want to produce. Their song "Call" from the John L.Session EP CD is an original CRUEL TEA song.

4th line-up
Edward Luna - vocalist
Rommel Gonzales - bass
Ludwig Valenzuela - drums
Malvin Magnayon - guitars

*Marlon, who is a rock guitarist just had enough of NEW WAVE so that's why he left the band.


FINAL LINE UP
Edward Luna - vocalist
Rommel Gonzales - bass
Ludwig Valenzuela - drums
Malvin Magnayon - lead guitars
Emil De Leon - rhythm & acoustic guitars

* Emil was recruited to put more ambiance to their sound.

Of course the band's influences goes back to the ROOTS of NEW WAVE Pinoy Flavor. YUP!! The likes of The Railway Children, The Church, Wire Train, The Ocean Blue, Modern English, The Cure, The Chameleons just to name a few. Definitely in the GENRE of New Wave, Post Punk and Jangle Pop.CAFFEINE's First Ever gig? Then, It's got to be Back To the Edge at Mayric's back in September 29, 2000 FRIDAY. Joining the band were other PINOY NEW WAVE BANDS like Dead Pop Stars, Poetic Sparks, Sophiya's Labyrinth, The Late Isabel, Dominion and Joy Frenzy (later became Atomflot). For MEL, the band's Most Memorable gig was Channel V Christmas Party wayback December 21, 2000.


According to MEL the band didn't officially disbanded. CAFFEINE members just drifted away from each other due to their work schedules, commitments, and other priorities. Family first then work. The band just dropped down from everyone's priorities back then. They were actually planning to record some original materials that they were playing at gigs so that they can finally release a full length DIY album but some things were not really meant to be.


I'm featuring right now CAFFEINE's "The John L. Session" EP which EDWARD MOON gave me back in 2004. Well, the CD Cover and Label was created by MEL wherein I just printed it myself for my own collection purposes and nice presentation. He He He!! So why JOHN L. SESSION? Hmmmp!! "JOHN L." was the band's friend who did the EP mixing and production. When I saw the title I thought It was really related to their LITEWAVE SESSIONS or better yet the LEGENDARY JOHN PEEL SESSION. Naaah!! It's JOHN L. okay!! Definitely not John Lennon I suppose. He He He!! My EP CD Copy has two extra tracks coming from their LITEWAVE SESSIONS namely their original "STAY" which I personally uploaded for you guys to listen to. The other extra track in my CD is their rendition of THE RAILWAY CHILDREN's "BRIGHTER" which is an XB classic.

HERE'S MY OWN DIY CAFFEINE's "JOHN L. SESSION" EP COPY:




The DIY CD and Back Cover!!

LISTEN HERE:
STAY (LITEWAVE SESSION)



I just love this song and the lyrics "We love THE CURE, and THE CARE, there's MORRISSEY and the rest of THE SMITHS" would really tell you that they are indeed PINOY NEW WAVERS. How about that last part on the song wherein COWBOY ED included an OCEAN BLUE "ASK ME JON" sequence? YUP!! This OCEAN BLUE song is a POWER105 classic back then. All I can say KABAYAN "NEW WAVE na NEW WAVE talaga ang dating nung song". AYUZ!!

LISTEN HERE:
CAFFEINE's RENDITION of
THE RAILWAY CHILDREN song "BRIGHTER"



I asked permision to MEL if It's okay that I'll upload the EP here in my blog so that you guys could listen to it too and have a copy of the songs. He suggested that I will only upload the two songs namely "STAY" and "CALL" out of the three. So I didn't include the third song entitled "MY TAGALOG SONG" because personally he doesn't like the song and he still wondered why they included it on the EP.Hmmmp!! He He He!! I didn't make the LITEWAVE SESSION Version of STAY available for download because I wanted you guys to just listen to it here in my blog. Well, that's one of the extra cut which COWBOY ED included in my copy.

CAFFEINE
"THE JOHN L. SESSION"
TRACKLIST:
1) STAY
2) CALL
3) MY TAGALOG SONG
-(sorry!! not included on the upload)

CLICK HERE to DOWNLOAD:

PASSWORD: http://docmuzic.blogspot.com/

LISTEN HERE:
MY TAGALOG SONG

According to MEL there were around 150 CDR EP copies without a cover that were given for free during their gigs. Only a few though was given an EP with the DIY cover which MEL created to make it presentable. My personal copy has two bonus cuts from their LITEWAVE SESSION. Wheeew!! My favorite song on the EP would definitely be "STAY" which incidentally landed #6 on the Top 15 Songs Of The Year in JAM 88.3's YEAR END COUNTDOWN back in December 31, 2005. YUP!! I was also able to listen to that countdown back then. Very surprising because CAFFEINE was the only underground artist on the list. KUDOS to you guys!! CAFFEINE was also mentioned on a microscopic article in PULP MAGAZINE too. Do we need an electron microscope to read that MEL? He He He!!



(MEL on the left, COWBOY ED wearing his TRADEMARK HAT while singing)

Right now, MEL wants to go back to the band scene again. The last time I heard about ED was that he was on a Networking Business. I wanna THANK ROMMEL "MEL" GONZALES for helping me out on the INFORMATION and of course the PHOTOS. I also wanna THANK EDWARD MOON for giving me the CD EP with two bonus tracks back in 2004. I do hope you guys liked and enjoyed my blogpost on CAFFEINE. YUP!! It's "The Dr. Stirring Rhod" way again!! Just my own way of remembering back the PINOY NEW WAVE BAND called "CAFFEINE". THANKS for dropping by!!


Take a dose of
CAFFEINE!!
-DR. STIRRING RHOD