Artist Life Peg: Joni Mitchell

I mentioned Joni Mitchell in my last entry when I used her lyrics for my most recent drawing. Jim and I were talking about her the other day and I shared to him something that I read before about Joni considering herself primarily a painter, and being a musician was secondary and was just brought about by circumstance. Jim was curious and asked what sort of art she made, all I could remember was her self portraits for her albums. She actually studied art in Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary before she became the highly acclaimed folk singer songwriter that she is today. 

While Joni (oo first name basis kami) is more known for her heartfelt lyrics and musical genius, her art deserves equal recognition. I'd like to share this video from a recent CBC interview about her artistic process and her attitude towards creating art and music. She has mastered both languages, but explains that the process for each is quite different--music requires more logic and analysis to her, while painting, as she puts it, is meditative. She candidly speaks about her hatred for fame and attention, but at the same time is grateful for the tributes given in her honor because of the incredible work and influence that she has contributed to the music industry. She is very frank about topics being discussed in the interview and this has led to much controversy.  At age 70, perhaps this is the least of her concerns, and mentions that she is used to being misunderstood. Personally, I really don't give a rat's ass on what people think of her because she is one of the most talented people out there. Having achieved so much in her life, she still shows signs of unwavering passion towards art and creating and it manifests in the way she talks about her art and her music. 

Watch her interview here:

Check out her other works at her Official Website

PhotoCredit: American Gallery Wordpress || www.CBC.ca

Read more

The Garden Exhibit at Sweet Ecstasy, Cubao X

Last June 22, art, music and tons of inspiration converged at Sweet Ecstasy in Cubao X for Coy Placido's The Garden exhibit. Despite the rainfall and traffic that Saturday night, people crowded the venue to view the artist's work. The exhibit showcases more than 30 artworks that include digital paintings, vector art and photo manipulations, created with the central theme of duality or in Coy's own words, "the inescapable condition of our nature within humanity and beyond the bounds of society to think in contrast or in twofold." 

Two floors of Sweet Ecstasy displayed Coy's work, and exhibit goers were also engaged in an origami challenge  to be included in the sea of paper cranes that served to support one of his more minimalist digital illustrations called "Sweets In Every Fold". I struggled to follow the instructions lined beside the staircase, but eventually managed to give my share of paper folding sweetness.

Aside from awesome art, the crowd was also treated with fantastic music from Abby Asistio, Session Road, KAZE, Pedicab, Top Junk, Peryodiko and Coffeebreak Island. It was an exhibit turned street party as the audience inched closer to the stage, ignoring the rain drops whilst singing, dancing and taking photos of the performers. 

Read more

Fete De La Musique 2013

I've always disliked the month of June. It meant the end of summer and the start of school (hence, awful traffic and difficult commutes). It signals the the ever dreaded beginning of the rainy season with the universe giving us its middle finger for complaining about how hot and sticky it is in April and May. This year, June seems to have given me a peace offering with a new project at work, news of an opportunity to go to Europe, good business for Sugar Lily Cupcakes, gigs with my band KAZE, my love's 29th birthday and an awesome celebration of music held annually around the world called "Fete De La Musique".

Now I've heard stories about The Fete from previous years. My friends who went, cursed at the weather and how terribly disorganized the event was, given that it was held outdoors. Imagine looking forward to seeing your favorite bands play only to get soaked in the rain while you're at it. I had my reservations when Jim invited me to go, but then I never had the chance to do this before, so I thought, what the heck, might as well seize the opportunity now. I will worry about soaked shoes later.

Finger Trap performing I Know by Save Ferris

Microphone sharing at its finest

We decided to check out the Ska and Soul stage at Heckle & Jeckle near Jupiter street, because it seemed like a good starting point. The main stage was in A. Venue in Makati Ave which intersected with Jupiter so it gave us flexibility to strategically roam around if we decide to crawl from one pocket stage to another. The timing was perfect when we arrived as the stage was being set up for the next band, Finger Trap. They played Come on Eileen by Save Ferris and right then I knew I was going to really enjoy the evening. I was amazed by the horn section of the band that consisted of three saxophones, a trumpet and a trombone. Imagine five guys blowing their instruments shitless while sharing a single microphone. It was awesome! We talked to the guitarist and told him that we enjoyed their set. A four piece trip hop/soul band followed after Finger Trap, which set a more laid back mood for the audience. I call it Romansa sounds or MOMOL sounds. Haha. The vocalist's tone reminded me of a mash up between India Arie and Erykah Badu, I told Jim. Throughout their set, we grooved to the basslines and the twinkly sounds of the synths.

Read more

Going Solo at Boho

This 2013 I told myself I'm going to be a "yes" girl and grab opportunities when they present themselves. I dub this weekend my "getting-out-of-the-comfort zone weekend" because I got to do a couple of things for the very first time. First is that I played a 1 hour solo acoustic set at Boho Sarapsody Bistro in Cubao and it was an awesome (albeit initially nerve wracking) experience then second is I got to attend my very first crafting session (but that's a different post).

I've been singing for as long as I can remember, but for the longest time, I was plagued with stage fright. Blame it on a disastrous performance of If We Hold On Together when I was in Grade 4 that led me to shy away from solo performances and just content myself with being a choir girl until college. When I met my band mates, everything changed and I eventually gained a bit more confidence in performing onstage. The amazing chemistry we had as a band led us to keep on playing and release an EP called "No Reason" in 2009. We've been together for 8 years already, and although a couple of them have left Manila (temporarily, I hope), the music still plays on and we're working on our full length album hopefully to be released this year.

KAZE at CubaoX, 2012

When I got invited to play at Boho, I was a bit reluctant 'coz I've never done a gig by myself. I knew how to play the guitar but the skill was utilized mostly for writing songs, but not for performing. I'd usually just record the vocal melody and jot down the basic chords, then let my bandmates have the freedom with arranging them. Jim, being the musician that he is, also encouraged me to accept the invitation if only to see how I'd fare doing a solo gig. Sige na nga, yes girl ako! So I notified with Katt and Che about my schedule and started practicing. I felt so unprepared pa rin when the day came, so to my friends, sorry hindi ako nag invite! Sobrang nahiya ako haha.

It was my first time in Boho, so with the aid of google maps and Che's awesome set of directions, we got there from B.F. Homes and had enough time to eat before my set. Che who is one of the bar owners greeted us and recommended stuff from their menu. We got Tokwa't Baboy and Chicken Capers because we were starving and wanted a rice meal. I especially loved the Tokwa't Baboy coz they put cilantro on the soy sauce. Yum! They put extra care in the food, I can tell, because even their rice are served in heart or star shapes. So cute. The place exuded warmth and coziness, but at the same time, it was a very cool place to hang out. Parang feeling ko ang artsy ko talaga! Hahaha.

Chicken Capers (sorry bawas na yan, gutom na talaga kami!)

Tokwa't Baboy

At around 10:30 pm, I got called to start my set and so I went on with playing songs from a few of my favorite artists. Here's my set list from that gig.

Gatekeeper - Feist
Fallen - Sarah McLachlan
Love Is A Losing Game - Amy Winehouse
Cross My Heart - EBTG
Little Wing - The Corrs (original by Jimi Hendrix)
Save Me - Aimee Mann
Melt My Heart To Stone - Adele

(Jim played the guitar for me on these two songs)
Lover, You Should've Come Over - Jeff Buckley
Soon - Moonpools and Caterpillars

I was super nervous, I made quite a few mistakes on my guitar, but the crowd was so forgiving and so appreciative of the set, I eventually warmed up and relaxed. Perhaps the choice of songs helped, because most of them were familiar to the audience. I loved that they really listened. They were clapping and making positive reactions about my voice despite my mistakes. One of them even gave me a hug after my set! It was so heartwarming, coz they turned out to be SUPER DUPER TALENTED musicians as well! The girl who hugged me, Kara, played an AWESOME SET  of bluesy, jazzy soul (this is not an exaggeration, her voice seriously blew my mind) with Gia on the saxophone. Gosh, they were so amazing, but they had a relaxed and steady way about them na parang they were just playing for their own friends.

Gia on Saxophone and Kara on guitar and vocals (GALING!!!)

(L-R) Gia, Kara, Pam and Me (wagas ang ngiti!)

We ended up jamming a few songs after Kara's set, with Gia on guitar and me on vocals, then they also invited Pam (another regular musician at Boho) to belt out a couple of songs while Kara accompanied her. It was a fantastic evening, and I  was so happy about my Boho experience. If it's not for the food, anyone would certainly enjoy it for the music and the crowd.


Boho Sarapsody Bistro is located at 272 Ermin Garcia Street, Cubao, 1102 Quezon City, Philippines
Check them out on Facebook!

Read more

January, Why Do You Hurry?

Just a doodle that I did this past week using the Sky Glory Free Ink Roller that I got from Little Town Store sometime in January. I initially thought they were gel pens but they are actually Ink roller pens which I love coz they have a more "watercolor" effect.

The week has been a blur with work sometimes getting in the way and decisions about my business trip (which is still not very clear at this point) still being discussed, but I think I had a great month last month and it was an awesome way to kickstart 2013. My creative momentum is absolutely spectacular and the more I draw, doodle, paint and make things, the more inspired I get every day. Thank you January for the inspiration!

Here are a few notable drawings for this month:

And since this is a good time to do some shameless plugging, this blog entry's title was taken from a song I wrote way back in 2011 to be included in my band KAZE's  album hopefully this year!!

John You Worry - KAZE

Blackbird Bar, Makati

John you worry, why do you hurry?

John you worry, it's the start of the year

You make me lonely in January

Til you come back, December will hold me near

Fireworks in the sky, you made it all worthwhile

Started singing the blues, said you'll be back in July

Captured by your charms, you held me in your arms

Goodbye is so overused, so I tried so hard not to cry

Oh dear, you worry me, the year ahead is long you see

Our hearts were ablaze, hormones were in a rage

Left me breathless for you, you had me trapped in a maze

The days had passed us by, we had to say goodbye

In winter you kept me warm, but summer came in way too late

The clouds have turned to gray, I would be yours if you could stay

Oh you promised me that you will be back soon

But the memories have faded 'til the month of June

Your guitar is playing softly in my ear

I wish that you had made it so perfectly clear...

Read more

My New Guitar Baby: Daniela

Photo from http://www.dd-customguitars.com

Waaaaah I have a brand new guitar baby!! Ze boyfriend bought a D&D Slim Standard Natural Acoustic Guitar for me yesterday!!! I was overwhelmed despite picking up a hint from him when he was asking me to test it. I had the initial impression that it was really for him coz he keeps on raving about this brand every time we pass by a music store. So even though he just purchased a Fender acoustic guitar late last year, I still thought he was buying the thing for himself. He was telling me about how heavy the fender was; hard case and everything, so I thought he wanted the D&D for mobility. Plus, he's a true certified guitar junkie so the idea of him buying another acoustic didn't seem fishy to me at the time.

When I played the Slim Acoustic for the first time, I was immediately smitten. I was never a good guitar player to begin with, but the sound I made wasn't half bad when I tested it. I love that it has a slim neck and a thin body, coz I haven't developed calloused guitar fingers just yet, and the slim design makes it more playable even by an amateur like me. Gushing at the full bodied sound even when unplugged, I contemplated on buying the same model myself. I have an upcoming gig this Feb at Boho Sarapsody, CubaoX and I'm still practicing songs using my 6-year old Lumanog, Noogie. Noogie's bridge is too high, so after a few songs, my fingers start to hurt already. When we plugged the guitar to an amp and tested the equalizer, I was even more impressed. I told Jim to accompany me by end of Jan so I can buy my own.

My babies Daniela and Noogie side by side.

While Jim was urging me to keep on playing and testing the guitar, I had some sort of a "Teka lang, para sakin ba 'to" moment but I thought maybe he just wanted my opinion. I thought we were there to just get a feel of the instrument, but i was surprised when he said he was going to pay for it already. Huwaw ah, impulse purchase?! While he was making the transaction at the cashier and the sales guy was putting the guitar inside its softcase, Jim asked the brand of strings used for the guitar. Jonathan the sales guy responded, D'adario size 10. My clever boyfriend suddenly said, "O, tandaan mo ha. Size 10. Pwede rin naman size 9 pero mas manipis tunog" or something to that effect.

Thought bubble: Omg. teka, akin ba talaga 'tong binibili niya?! 

I managed to keep it cool and restrain myself from asking him the question as we left Pro Audio Music Store coz I didn't want to assume. Needless to say that i didn't have to, because my super sweet boyfriend suddenly exclaimed "Happy 123!" with a silly sorta gotcha grin on his face. Apparently, this is his belated monthsary gift.

SABI NA EH!!! 

Gosh. a new guitaaaaaaaar! And a D&D at that! Level up sa Lumanog ko! That super made my day, my week, my month and my year so far. Good Lordie, this boy. nakakahaba lang ng hair. :D Been playing the pretty thing all evening, and im so inspired to make music again. 

You can find out more about D&D Guitars here.

Read more