My new baby....

Just got my new baby!!! My new SX P/J Pirate Bass! I've been looking at this since my GAS attacked (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). This is a good buy for me. Bought this at a reasonable price. I love the tone of this baby.... neck feels got and has good Pick Up output. The Precison PU and Jazz Single Coil Pick Up works in my favor as it gives me a lot of option in terms of tone. Specially for Traces of War. Another thing that got me to buy this beauty is the look. I am looking for a 4 stringed bass guitar that will allow me to go with what I want musically and at the same time, give me that nasty presence on stage. I have not tested this yet with live gigs or even on practice but once I've played with my new baby... I'll post my review here.


Just got my new baby!!! My new SX P/J Pirate Bass! I've been looking at this since my GAS attacked (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). This is a good buy for me. Bought this at a reasonable price. I love the tone of this baby.... neck feels got and has good Pick Up output. The Precison PU and Jazz Single Coil Pick Up works in my favor as it gives me a lot of option in terms of tone. Specially for Traces of War. Another thing that got me to buy this beauty is the look. I am looking for a 4 stringed bass guitar that will allow me to go with what I want musically and at the same time, give me that nasty presence on stage. I have not tested this yet with live gigs or even on practice but once I've played with my new baby... I'll post my review here.

Nature's Wrath

What a month it has been for our country. The greater part of the luzon are looked like an open see with the anguish laid out by two typhoons that will sure be remebered by many. Ondoy and Pepeng. Two notorious names that left a scar in our memory. A scar that will let us think twice of what we've done, what we're doing and the things we are about to do....

First off, deepest condolences to those families that had some members taken from them by the catastrophe. And to God, I personally thank you for blessing us and protecting us in times of danger,our family and our friends. I know this is a very late post but i just made it a point at least to let our country go by the hard times before posting in my ideas.


Me and my father decided to at least stay indoors while Ondoy was doing it's wreck-job along NCR. We watched as Ondoy do it's job mostly in Rizal and Manila. PAGASA says it was the heaviest rainfall (in terms of water volume) Luzon has ever experienced. You can see others swimming in flood waters. Others stranded in their rooftops. Famous celebrities had no VIP treatment for this event. I guess you saw on your local news how devastating Ondoy has been. Here is one of the scenes from Ondoy's wrath that left me in awe....




After that... while Manila and NCR is on the process of recovering, Pepeng showed up and clamped it's attack on the Northern part of Luzon. It seems that it was a planned destination for these typhoons as Nature's Wrath gave Luzon a taste of it with Ondoy devastating the Southern part and Mid part of Luzon while Pepeng showed its might on the Northern boundaries.

With this, it still is a sight to see how Filipinos unite and help each other. For once we finally saw sincerity and concern for those guys you see in TV. hehehe. But to be serious, I know that everyone wants to know who is to blame? For me? The person sitting in front of the monitor. Yep. You. Me. All of Us. Want proof? After the flood water subsided... you know what is the common thing that you can see. Go out of your house. You'll see what I mean.

You see we are missing the point. We only have one home, and we are taking it for granted...and when are we going to act out and be responsible? Is this the Legacy you are about to leave to your sons and daughters?

May God be with us and shed some light.... as a starting point... I implore you to watch An Incovenient Truth by Al Gore.

8:06am

Now Playing: Inferno by Symphony X

It's 8:06 am. Yep... you got it right. 8:06 in the morning of a bright sunny Wednesday. It is delighting to see the sun shine again after experiencing almost a week of non-stop storm here in the Philippines. I've been trying to minimize my daily in take of caffeine but since I haven't woke up this early for ages, I just got to meet and sip an old friend of mine. I'm out to get my last paycheck from my previous company (hurrah!) that's why I sacrificed my daily lucid dreams just to take a 1 and a half hour ride down to ABS-CBN's ELJ Building.

Want to give you a quick recap of my very wonderful weekend.

To begin with, I was given the chance to see on HBO two wonderful movies. Primal Fear and Kite Runner. You know, nowadays it is really hard to catch that goood, non-mediocre films even on a movie channel such as HBO. Well, I don't want to take anything away from this 2 lovely work of art. I won't spill the beans for you. Primal Fear stars Richard Gere and Edward Norton. It was introduced to me a long time ago by a good friend of mine. Kite Runner though was a surprise. I don't know... but by the time I got to see the first few scenes of the movie, it gave me the intuition that I'll enjoy watching this movie. It actually moved me! hahaha. Now that's a rare one. Nice story. So if you have nothing to do, how about you try these two good movies instead of busting your eyes to your daily soap operas.

Second, I also want to share to you what a night we had last Saturday as Traces of War played in a gig named Kamatayan sa Huwad na Metal, A joint production of Apoy ng Kamunduhan Production, Lifespan Records and Anura Records. It was a blast. At first I was anxious because we have not played with most of the bands that night and considering that there will be those that writes on Metal Fanzines that would not give a thing if you don't pass their standards, from a musical standpoint. I mean we are youngblood. Usually, it is hard to make a good, lasting impression in the scene if you are new and if you play pretty much new school music.

We were supposed to start the event but we were moved to the third slot. Much respect to Paganfire, Ancient Warlord, Tenebrion, Corrupt Insanity for playing their music passionately. But the band that caught my attention is Mass Hypnosia. Loved their riffs. Sick! hehehe. It is nice to venture this wing of the Underground scene here in the Philippines. And based on what we received from the crowd, it seems they enjoyed our music. It was satisfying. Just visit this link for the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9IqhCRSoq8


To start the week though, I'm sure everyone saw what Kanye West did to Taylor Swift at the most recent MTV Video Music Awards. Man, to whatever view I try to look into it... It's not a great thing to do. Respect man. That's the keyword. And what an honorable thing that Beyonce did when she got the chance to take an award. If you do not know what I am talking about, open up a browser and go to Youtube for more details. Ü

Well time for me to take a bath! Please catch us next on Metal War 3 this coming Saturday, September 19, 2009 at Checkpoint Bar, Dona Soledad, Bicutan. For more details, just visit us at www.myspace.com/tracesofwarmusic.

NOTEPAD STAIN: III

a thousand miles i try to cross
with a distant stare that asks for ease
the skyline lay in deep slumber
ignoring the feeling you left me


i plead for you to hear
but the war of hearts is always waging
i play charades with my reflected image
he tells me i am deeply consumed and calloused


the union of the forbidden
that stirred the wave of history
can we share this sanctity
or should we delay for others' sake


i miss the look that keeps me calm
the warmth that kills the shiver
the hand that holds the future
the bruise that strengthens me

if you'll never come back
just let me lay to rest
let me get a dose of what we were
or at least give me back my longing heart


* * * * *


earbender


sit and wait
for the lion to growl
for the lamb to obey
and for you to get sick

open your eyes
and stay fucked up
behold the disease
that you've been set to recieve

smile,chat and follow
robots now earn gold
a dime or two will let you breathe
and chant along your so called dream

you lay to die
you die to help
listen to the echoes of the imp
that twist and rot your mind

the weak will break
the sane to demented
and when all else fails
just shut them up,and hit the trigger


* * * * *



the disease



find a new canvas
to stain the ink of guilt
eloquence came as a necessity
for the sinned and saint



when will you find peace
without the price of a frown
to dilute the misery
with an ounce of malice



they waive their hands
to the painted sunrise
not knowing if by daybreak
they'll still gasp for breath



when will they die
should you falter when the time comes
should it be enough
or should we kill more smiles


* * * * *

Am I Happy When It Rains?

Now Playing: Impact is Imminent by Exodus

Nice! We are now spending 5 days straight of non-stop raining. I usually plan to make it a point to sleep the whole day or at least almost the whole day whenever it starts raining. And guess what... my friendly Mr. Sandman never came to visit me.

Well lets get a recap of what happened the past few days. To begin with... last Saturday the band received a band news. One of our guitar players decided to go on an indefinite hiatus because of personal issues. More on work related as what he said through a text message. Tough time to break the cookie though. We were planning to record our materials for our new demo hopefully out by end of 2009 but then again, shit happens. Let me give you some light on my thoughts here. It is really tough that he decided to leave... again. I mean when he returned back from overseas, we were excited to get that piston named Traces of War working again. Well, I guess that what makes playing here in the Philippines great. And news flash: we're not your preppy-money-making-band that you see on your local music channel. You get that bittersweet feeling of gaining some and losing some. I can say that we are pretty much used to it.

Last Sunday though, Me and my girl along with her cousin and nephew decided to go to Glorietta to see the infamous Jabbawockeez (oops let me consult Mr. Google to see proper spelling). My girlfriend is really amazed with this dance group and as evident... almost the entire nation is familiar with these modern age mimes. I was a bit surprised to see a large number of people that attended the event. Ideally, we were supposed to have a good time but we just tortured our legs standing up trying to see these guys dance (and for consolation we did, on the giant white screen set up by the production). Funny thing though, as usual here in our dear country; the rich and the famous got the last laugh as they got front row seats to see these guys. What sucks is we went early to Glorietta 5 to see the "meet and greet the Jabbawockeez" thing; mostly for my girlfriend's nephew who is a huge fan. And again, gold glittered. It seems the guys that was on the meet-and-greet line was already pre-arranged and based on their fine skin and dollar speaking lips, their moms and dads gave them that one way ticket to the event. Interesting what money can do aye?

For this week, well apart from watching tragedy strike our mainstream media and seeing politicians gun for the coveted popularity contest known to many as Election Day, I just spent my day working on a layout for an Ad to promote our band's first ever merchandise!!! tadadadadaaaa!!!




So for interested buyers just send in your orders here in The Pit! Ü

I also would like to tell you the highlight of my day: Watching that Seth Rogen Interview on Late Night with Conan O' Brien. It was kind of an awkward interview but I am a fan for both these guys so who cares! Their "natural" interview went for almost 45 minutes and Conan needs to crack a joke on how Seth Rogen is eating up the time of the next guest. Talking about means to get the message sent! hehehehe. I don't know but I like the Late Night with Conan O' Brien. It's like he is my comic soulmate. Just makes me laugh just by simply tuning in and I think after watching your local daily noontime show, try upgrading and watch something funny and witty. TRUST ME!!!

Also I recieved a bad news: Allen Iverson is planning to join the Memphis Grizzlies! For Christ's Sake A.I.!!! Save yourself! Just go to Minnesota or Charlotte where they need a player like you and you don't have to contend with other guys about taking shots. Apart from the fact that you don't stand a chance for survival on Memphis' current roster, you'll only make things worse for them. They already got a great line up with O.J. Mayo on the 2 position and with Rudy Gay on the 3 spot which obviously will fight for the right to be the next Kobe Bryant show in Memphis. They also have a beefed-up front court with Marc Gasol and defensive rookie powerhouse Hasheem Thabeet( kudos to Grizzlies management for picking him). Where will you be? Point Guard? Come on man! You want an answer? Detroit and Denver. Hope he'll reconsider. You're once an MVP and your rookie batchmates Kobe Bryant and Ray Allen already kissed the Larry O' Brian trophy and your going to end up in... Memphis?

And finally, it is our special 28th month! Running strong! Ily!




See you next time guys and please visit our band's myspace account: www.myspace.com/tracesofwarmusic

just want to share some of the things I've created for our band's myspace account.
if you have time, feel free to visit www.myspace.com/tracesofwarmusic.

Respect

Just finished eating adobo for my lunch. I still lack sleep. I arrived here in Bulacan around 4am.

Last night, we played at Center for Arts in Timog Avenue. We've been playing in this place for quite sometime now since our comeback early 2009. The place is a great spot for Manila's underground music scene and you can see gigs here almost every weekend. Truth be told, we had our fair share of fun and good times playing in this joint and some bad ones. But so far, last night's gig was that one night where in things really got ugly.

My bandmates arrived at the venue around 7pm to reserve a good position in the lineup for the said gig. You see, if you're not that familiar with the scene's usual gig set up, pretty much it is first come - first serve basis. Who ever comes in on the venue will be able to select their preferred position in the lineup. And as what we've experienced, there are productions that has 10 or more bands playing under one night. Imagine that! You'll start the gig around 9pm and you have 15 bands in your wing. This does not include bands with this "rockstar attitude". But let's not dwell on that. Believe me in as much as I want to lament on the scene's not-so-good traits, it seems it is quite pointless and that's not the point of this post.

Anyways,there were a number of bands that came in before my vocalist and drummer arrived at the venue and we were left with the option to select either number 2 (the earliest slot) or (if i am not mistaken) around number 8 or something past the 5th slot. To be honest with you,I'd rather have the latter slots if not for the long list of bands playing that night. I mean it is best to come in first rather than play with half of the audience either drunk or tired. We've been used to that set up so we just went with the second slot.

The gig started with a band named Peligro (Danger). They played their originals and gave the crowd a boost to start the gig. These guys are also from PUP, hailing from the University's College of Engineering. We came in next after them. We gave the crowd our own brand of 80's influenced Thrash Metal with a dose of Hardcore elements. I must say that we are the only band that played that brand of music. It was a great set except for the fact that our guitarist went off time on the bridge part of our song titled 4x4. Quite a great set. We were even acknowledged by some bands on the event recognizing the old thrash vibe that we gave them. We were followed by Death Metal act Legion and I must say that these guys are really great; both on and off stage. I was amazed by their bassist/ vocalist's Warwick Double Buck Corvette. It is actually one of my dream gears. After their set I got the chance to ask him how much was his Warwick bass.Just for future plans. Hahaha.

After that, Andrea Marie came in to play their own brand of Power Metal assault. After that Me,Clark (drummer) and Aboy (Vocals) went out to get some Gatorade on a local gas station and we got the chance to chit chat with Rad and guys of Bane. We are on the works of recording our songs and we asked them what would be their recommended studio for recording our demo CD. They recommended Earbender. We asked them about few details about how their recording process worked out and after that we decided to lock in on Earbender as our main option for recording.We actually asked and spoke with other friends from the scene about possible recording studios and most of them actually gave Earbender as their top suggestion.

After hanging out with some of the bands on the place (some I barely know. hahaha), We went in to try to watch other bands play. When we came in Grace of Brutality was already playing. They served the crowd with their ala-Slayer songs and their last song was Reign in Blood by Slayer which gave the crowd more than what they're asking for. After watching some bands playing their stuff; from hardcore, death metal, grindcore or even plain modern rock, it is quite neat to see that the underground scene is really healthy until.....

We were waiting for Dave's (our guitar player for Traces of War) side project Bersikulo (Verse) to play. They took their gear and tried setting up.It actually took them time to set up because their drummer was looking for a crash cymbal. But before Dave was able to get a hold of the microphone, a guy went up on stage and started asking Dave about some issues with the lineup; and he actually scolded Dave. And mind you, he did this with the mic on, with everyone to hear it. I hate to curse on this blog but that is total disrespect!!!! It seems that there were some issues with who was supposed to play next after grindcore act Gonnorhea Infection's set. You see this is another thing that pisses me off when you talk about the scene... the politics. It seems that Dave was told by one of the guys that handles the lineup that they were next. But this guy that went on stage and started to talk to Dave says that they have a different set of line up in their hand. Tough to see that Dave was humiliated that way. You do not need to show disrespect on other bands considering that this guy was not even an established figure in the scene ( I won't be mentioning this guys name in "respect" to him. ) Another point that I want to raise out is that this guy is not even one of the Production's head. It ended up with Bersikulo going down the stage and not playing. Total rubbish.

I spoke with Dave to encourage him and at the same time, advised him to not let others do that to his band. I even told him that if that was done while we, Traces of War is setting up on stage, things will be ugly.

I left the bar around near 3am if my memory serves me well and while walking on my way from Timog Avenue to Edsa, I felt really sorry for Bersikulo for what happened to them.

By the way, catch our myspace account; www.myspace.com/tracesofwarmusic for our next gigs and please keep posted! thanks!

Alloy

Lazy Tuesday for me....

This afternoon I had a chance to jam with my bandmates fpr my side project named Drive Under the Influence. They gave me a visit to try to hone and work on some songs that we have. After engaging ourselves in sisig, soda and a few strings we finished our session at least around late 4 in the afternoon.

I got the chance to blog in The Pit after watching a replay of this TV special from a local music channel here in the Philippines. It is a brief glimpse and exposure about the Filipino metal scene. It was originally aired, if my memory serves me well, around late May.

It was a great outlet to let a great number of viewers and musical enthusiasts to be informed, specially here in the country, that a Filipino underground metal scene does exists. And I must say quite an impressive thing this network did for having the balls to at least break out of the norm. This music channel is very popular for incessantly airing local and foreign pop music, so-called "OPM" music, and a number of shows that cater to the very welcoming idea of profit and rating.

The show basically highlighted interviews of some known and established metal acts and personalities here in the country. Some of which I had a chance to share the stage with or talk to. It features the metal scene in general from the perspective of those interviewed. It is great to know that the metal scene nowadays is amassing a great deal of exposure considering the misconception about the genre.

There were some great thoughts given by some musicians that was interviewed. I was actually delighted to hear this quoted line from a well-known drummer that plays technical death metal: "...dito sa Pilipinas din, di tayo pwede magclaim na purists dahil una sa lahat halos lahat ng klaseng music na tinutugtog natin eh galing Western" ( "...here in the Philippines, we cannot claim that we are purists; to begin with, most of the music that we are playing is western based.") -- makes a lot of sense to me. A number of statements were given; starting from the known origin of the metal scene, how it was back then, and the growing scene itself. I suggest you try to watch it probably on Youtube.

Anyways, there was this one line that got me thinking: " Metal means not being mediocre. Di pwedeng metal ka lang ngayon ... Metal is a lifestyle.".

I play metal and I love the genre and the lifestyle ever since I was first exposed to the whole thing. There is no doubt about it. I even can envision myself 30 years from now still listening to Slayer songs and hopefully playing with my current band (hehehe). But thing is that not the whole part of my musical persona is Metal. I have been playing in this scene for almost 5 years now and I must say that playing in this scene has it's ups and downs but the whole experience is great. But there is a part of me that asks for other things apart from the Black and Red.

I personally love other genres and I can proudly say that I do not only listen to Metal. Jazz, Blues, Alternative, Rock, even Pop. I listen because I embrace music as a whole. So with that being said, my question is this: Am I considered a poseur? Just because I do not attend to gigs in the scene that much, does that mean I am not Metal enough? Just because most of my friends are not metalheads, does that mean I do not belong? Just because I come in to bars and gigs not wearing black and your usual band shirt, does that take me out of the right to play? I guess not. And if you are not down with that, I guess I can say that I am not the one that should start thinking. I play music and I express myself in whatever outlet I have. Same with those that share the same argument. It is not about what is physically seen and what can be counted. It is the passion that shows your love for this music.

Sad to say, I have spoken with a number of guys in this so-called scene and most of them need to grow up.

For the scene I must can say that we, the new blood, are very lucky with the options and sources that we have and I have all out respect to those who paved the way. For whatever differences each of us has, I think it is best that we break the political barriers and stick to let the genre and the scene grow. Let us not dictate who has the right to be "in" the scene and who should be called the real deal. Respect.

No one is born with an iconic Jackson King V strapped around their body while raising a bottle of Black Label in their left hand and a pick in their right hand and wears a leather baby diaper and a King Diamond bib. Absurd.

It is great to know that musically you walk on a broad field and I usually say this everytime someone asks me about music: It is just a buffet table; pick those you like, leave the crappy ones that does not suit your taste.

This is not about me questioning my integrity and my image or whatever. This is about breaking misconception and barriers.


If you have time please visit us:
www.myspace.com/tracesofwar

Welcome to The Pit...

Hello there!

I just started blogging here in blogger.com to at least have an outlet for anything I have in mind and to also serve as my portal to my writing.

By the way, I am Calix Gualdrapa. I took up a Bachelor's degree in Advertising and Public Relations at Polytechnic University of the Philippines. I had a number of exposure on the field being able to adapt and learn pre-production, production and post production approach and technique while I was still taking up my studies with small projects and some case studies that we had. I can say that my forte falls in copy writing. Ever since I was in college, apart from graphic designing, production based works etc., I made it a point to focus on what I love which is writing. Not that I have a very in-depth knowledge in writing but I can confidently say that I trust my writing skills.

After graduation (2007), although I tried applying on some production houses and advertising agencies, Lady Luck never really blew her wishes down my way and so I have not received any phone call for possible job openings( also considering the tight competition in the field) so I ventured in the call center industry. My very first (actual) job experience is working for a call center as a Customer Service and Technical Support Representative in a large gaming console support team here in Manila. Less than a year I got promoted as Level 2, On-phone Supervisor in the position and I handled both Technical and Customer Support side. I decided to file a formal resignation on July 2, 2009. I decided to open another chapter of my life and sort out for bigger opportunities. I left the company in good terms and I took it as a great opportunity to boost up my confidence and my communication skills.

For my spare time, I enjoy writing, doodling in for some simple sketches and I also play bass guitar for a Metal band named Traces of War. I've been playing bass guitar for the band for almost 5 years now but I started to pick up the axe during the later years of my High School days. I think that playing is also a great way to extend out some feelings that I cannot imbue in writing or drawing. Gives me another road to express my inner thoughts.

Well enough for the formality. Ü I want you guys to at least enjoy reading on some of my thoughts and make this a very potent outlet to let you see what is inside The Pit....