Domo Arigato, [Miss] Roboto
Pinoy MusiKENYO
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Smooth and composed yet coarse and frenzied, sophisticated yet vulgar, safe but dangerous, familiar but somehow different – this is the kind of music generated by the band KENYO.
Composed of Mcoy Fundales (vocals/guitars), Ace del Mundo (guitars), JM del Mundo (bass guitars), Cleng Ocampo (guitars) and Ariz Villalon (drums/percussions), the band takes their name from the moniker “Bulakenyo”, given to natives of Bulacan (a province north of Manila, Philippines).
Formed in 2008, the band’s potential was so strong that it didn’t take long for them to get signed under major label Universal Records. Their debut album, RADIOSURFING, was a musical scrapbook of sorts. It contained songs like “Sana” and “Ayoko Na Sa ‘Yo“, both of which became hits that put the band on the map.
This project also led the group to a successful tour in the US (specifically California) on September of 2008.
KENYO’s affinity towards the sweet sound of the past and edgy approach to music is unique. Their sophomore effort MAHARLIKA (taken from the Malayan terms Majer Likha-”great piece of work”-and Mahal Likha-”beautiful creation”) is a perfect example of the group’s pop sensibilities and honest lyricism. With it, they dish out original music filled with zest, poetry and their own special sound.
I picked up my own copy of Maharlika recently, and I must say that the album is worth listening to from start to finish then repeating all over again.
The album opens with a melodic number called “Filipina“, a lovely ode to the timeless beauty and grace of Filipinas everywhere. It’s followed by “Tadhana“, a fun ditty on how fate and destiny sometimes poke fun at us.
The third track, “Hanggang Sa Muli“, has an interesting story. It was written by the band’s singer, Mcoy, who happened to witness a couple exchanging a seemingly endless farewell while the band was waiting to board a flight. It’s a testament to the sacrifices one has to endure in order to fulfill their dreams, even if it means being distant from home.
“Simulan Na Natin” has all the makings of a dance track like no other, a rhythm that emerges when desire and intimacy can’t seem to wait. Female hiphop artist Hi-C (formerly of Dice and K9) spices up this track, the first collaboration between Kenyo and other artists.
Boyish days of star gazing and wishful thinking are remembered in the syrup-y track “Wish On A Star“.
The sixth track off the album, “Kalayaan“, will be used as theme song for an upcoming indie-film locally produced and filmed in Bulacan.
“Meantime Girl” is an interesting ballad; it’s inspired by a woman of the same moniker, who blindly accepts her role in an entirely uncertain relationship. In contrast, “Strong Man” talks about how the strongest, the bravest, the invincible and the unyielding will still be vulnerable.
Of course, no self-proclaimed pop band’s album would be complete without a positive, hopeful, optimistic tune; in Kenyo’s case, the song is called Someone For You, co-written with ex-Polyester member Elmer Dado.
A song against negativity, toxicity and liars never sounded as good as “Learn To Swallow“. Steady drumbeats, unmistakable hooks and catchy guitar riffs will have you swaying along to the beat.
There’s another soundtrack song in the album, and it’s called “Alay Na Alaala“. It’s the theme song for The Forgotten War, a docu-film that talks about the stories of unsung Filipino heroes during the Korean War of the 1950’s.
The last track is actually something of a bonus track. “Hanggang Sa Muli (Akustiko)” is essentially a stripped down and intimate version of the album’s carrier single.
A fitting close to an album worthy of another spin.
If you’ve heard Kenyo’s music before but are unsure of their bolder approach to music this time around, you have nothing to fear. If for some reason you haven’t heard Kenyo yet, Maharlika is a good place is to start.
Keep up with Kenyo via the web!
Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/Musikenyo
Multiply : http://musikenyo.multiply.com
Myspace : http://www.myspace.com/musikenyo
YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/user/Kenyotic
Twitter : http://twitter.com/MUSIKENYO
Friendster : http://profiles.friendster.com/musikenyo
Euphoria Du Jour
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I don’t know where to begin.
Yesterday was…epic.
August 5, 2009 will go down in the books as the day our nation laid the very symbol of our democracy, the late great President Corazon Aquino, to her final resting place.
It will go down in my heart as a day of love, laughter and the day one of my biggest dreams came to fruition.
Spent the day in RX 93.1 with my Rusherloves and new friends. My latest kids Raine and Ike were around too, so there was some mother-child bonding there.
FTW (“for the win”) moment was when my favorite Rushito (Rusher tito) Joe scored seats to Nine Inch Nails via The Morning Rush.
Patron seats.
ROW A AND B PATRON SEATS.
For NINE INCH NAILS.
(Do you see where this is going?)
What does he do with those fantastic seats that were worth about P4,000 apiece (in total, roughly P16,000)?
HE GIVES THEM TO ME.
I died. Up to now, the morning after one of the most fantastic concerts I’ve ever attended in my life, I still can’t get over it. Anybody who knows me will tell you that catching Trent Reznor in person was on my bucket list.
Hello dream come true!
I’m still thanking Rushito Joe, and I think I’m probably going to be thanking him until the next century!
Wound up at Robinsons Galleria where I was lovingly surprised with a cake as a belated birthday gift by the Spice Boys Over Flowers gang, along with my “baptism” as Bouncy Spice. Haha. My Benjai love gets a special shout-out, as she was apparently the mastermind behind the whole affair.
Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in Galle gets a shout-out too, if only because their “meeting area” was the perfect venue for all our noise and chatter. I didn’t care much for their random turning off of the aircon after awhile though; that was somewhat rude. Heh.
Then it was time to make my way to one of the best concerts ever. EVER. Off to Araneta Coliseum! Hee. The weather was totally with my mood; it was raining, and Kiko (the storm) accompanied me from Ortigas to Cubao.
Reichi arrived just in time, but we hung around and waited for Gela (who came from Manila Cathedral) and Sistine (who came from her house in Mandaluyong hahaha). Totally missed the front act (Pupil) but we made it with plenty of time to spare, as NIN started at 9PM.
The concert was epic. From the first song, the energy in Araneta was brilliant and the stage was on practically on fire! They did songs like Terrible Lie, La Mer, Still - and just when I thought they wouldn’t, they did my all-time love HEAD LIKE A HOLE as their LAST song! I cried. I actually cried a bunch of times throughout the show. It was just so beautiful and surreal. The encore, Hurt, was the perfect way to cap off the night; the only lights visible in the massive dome were from cellphones and penlights as Trent’s voice swept through us all in waves.
My heart is overflowing.
Lord, this is all because of Your love and Your grace…thank You so much.
Birthday smurfday (one)
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July 31 is the feast day of St. Ignatius of Loyola, whose real name was Iñigo.
It also happens to be my birthday and the reason one of my names is Iñiga. 
This year was something; it was the year I hit the two-decade, no-longer-a-teen mode. Given everything I’ve been through, it really is a blessing that I’m still alive today. And that I haven’t killed anyone either…ahaha.
2 gigs 1 night was the plan, and despite some minor drama all went well.
Conspiracy was the first stop, with acoustic performances by the usual (DRP+Mayo Baluyut) and the extraordinary (William Elvin…and TOTO SORIOSO! 
) I sang with Toto; we did Lucky by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat. He was also sweet enough to do Hindi Diyos Nagbabago, a song he initially wrote while he was in a band and one of my favorite heartsongs! Toto was definitely my highlight for that gig. 
’70s Bistro came after, for punk rock insanity care of The Jerks. I can’t even begin to explain that one. All I will say is it rocked (no pun intended).
One of the best parts was that I had the most awesome guests! Arden (aka *the* Alpha of RX 93.1’s Radio 1 ) and Meryll (also from Radio 1 and the singer of the smash hit Waking Up A Vegan hahaha) came to party with me! And by yet another miracle, Ate Reichi was allowed to come. She brought Chapel (okay, her name is really Sistine and her nickname is Tenten, but I couldn’t resist :p) with her, which made the night even more awesome! Haha, they turned out to be a big help photography-wise, too; their Nikons somehow morphed into official “party paparazzi” paraphernalia. If it wasn’t for them I probably wouldn’t have as many awesome photos as I do.
Photos and more “depth” tomorrow. Someone is apparently looking for me at the gate. Haha.
Tags: 70s bistro, ate r is love, birthday 2009, conspiracy, gig, RX, the jerks, william elvin
Blog number [insert random number here].
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Whaaat? Ria Pavia’s blogging in an unlocked page?
Trust me, even I’m surprised that I’m back to public blogging. People who’ve known me for awhile will attest to the fact that I’ve had several of these over the years, from Tabulas.com to Xanga.com and even several Blogspots. For awhile it was a matter of the username, and much later on it became about things I would post. Somewhere along the way my big mouth in real life translated into a big mouth online; suffice to say I either said too much, didn’t say anything when I should have or just plain managed to dip into things I should never have been a part of to begin with. (Whew that sentence was long.)
At the moment most of my online accounts are under pretty tight security settings. From that alone you can expect that if you came here to start drama, you won’t find anything. I’ve learned from my mistakes, especially those that cost me friendships and rifts with relatives. And no, I’m not the type who wants (or needs) a high number of contacts/friends/what-have-you. I only add people I know and trust.
The whole point of this blog is for me to share reviews (food, movies, you name it), my photography and, yes, to share a bit of myself with everyone. Of course, the “bit” is literally just going to be that: a small snippet into my vast, quick, intense life.
The tags are going to be very useful in this blog, because I’m definitely going to be keeping my entries in check with certain categories. If you came here looking for a gig schedule or a playdate or some such, you’ll be able to skip through all my other stuff and get to it via tags like “gigs: aug 2009″-something to that effect, at least.
Funny enough, my first post will be about my recent birthday, so that should be fun. Ha.
Right now, I shall return to my paper, and hopefully get some sleep soon.
