A tale of two musicians

Long mae you run

I learned from writer-guitarist Joey Dizon that Dave Elkins is slated to play in Manila. Dave, from American rock band Mae (Multi-sensory Aesthetic Experience), will be playing a  solo, intimate show tonight at Hard Rock Café in Makati. The show — produced by PinoyTuner, Hard Rock Café and Jack Daniels — will be a benefit gig for the Typhoon Yolanda victims and proceeds will go directly to those in need of relief.

Dave will be performing all his Mae hits as well as new material from his new group Schematic. After this, the musician will pack his bags for Singapore for a gig on Nov. 18 at the Tab. 

Here is our Q&A with Dave Elkins:

Mae came out during the age when the Internet and new technology were slowly taking over, and your new group Schematic has come out during a time when social media and online presence are outpacing the old ways of distributing music. Would you say that you’ve always had an ally in technology?

I’ve had to learn on the fly when it comes to technological developments. I remember several years ago when Mae’s manager told me to get a Twitter account to start telling people what I was up to.  I rolled my eyes and told him that there was no way that anyone would ever be interested in my 160 characters. Man, was I wrong about Twitter! So many technological developments have occurred in the last decade that make us wonder how we ever got along without them. Good music is discovered now because of technology that would have passed us by a generation ago.  I’m grateful although sometimes slightly intimidated by this. 

Your music both old and new is very rich with melodies and great lyrics — music that has universal appeal. We’re curious as to who your influences are when it comes to both being a musician and songwriter?

I was raised on great music and classic songwriting.  My parents played Beatles records, “Thriller” by Michael Jackson… Bruce Springsteen, U2, Led Zeppelin, and other great classics in the house when I was young. Strong melody and an even stronger story make for great songwriting.  Thanks to my family, I’ve been fortunate to learn from the very best.  

One thing a lot of fans admire about you and your music is your generally positive stance on things — be it in your lyrics or interviews. Would it be accurate if people considered you as a Christian artist?

I was raised in a Christian home and do have my own faith. But I wouldn’t call myself a Christian artist. Christ didn’t die for my artistry but rather for me and for my sins. I think there are always spiritual pushes and pulls with every song I write and even every time I pick up a guitar or sing a note. But I think a common misconception is the labeling of things as “Christian.” I would also hate to disappoint someone if a song I wrote or sang didn’t meet their Christian standard, which of course has a degree of subjectivity to it. I don’t view my artistry as a ministry although it can definitely be a blessing when someone interprets it that way. It might also be a curse. I consider it one of my richest blessings to be able to meet people where they are through music and songwriting.  

What recent events have kept you inspired in making good music? Are there certain moods you have to be in when you’re writing?

Moving to Nashville has been a huge shock to my system. People out here write a new song every day. There is a machine-like quality in writing music in this town that is actually amazing! I’ve had writer’s block before but never again! In Nashville you learn to exercise your creativity like a muscle strengthening it with practice and learning. I always find that reading a good book brings out lyrics I can be proud of almost more than an emotional, romantic moment. The brain needs exercise just as much as the voice and the heart.  I’m always in the mood to write!

What can people expect from your gig at Hard Rock Café?

We are partnering with our promoter and others to raise funds to relieve those devastated by typhoon Yolanda.  I’ll be taking requests, playing and singing as long as my voice and the Hard Rock Café will let me. I can’t wait to see my Filipino friends!

Noli’s Lament

Noli Aurillo is easily one the best guitar players in the country. He could be playing solo on a lost Elvis Costello ballad with his Takamine acoustic to an almost empty bar, or jamming on Bohemian Rhapsody with the Manila Symphony Orchestra to a fully- packed auditorium — and Noli’s energy on both evenings would reach the same epic proportions. The man is always on.

On fire, on a stairway to heaven, on a trip where only musical geniuses like him could truly understand — or simply on top of his game. That’s musicianship on samurai or ninja levels.

He has performed with everyone who matters: Lolita Carbon and Asin, Joey “Pepe” Smith, Jun Lopito (at ye old Republic, two guitar-slinging dudes with spidery fingers), the late Dondi Ledesma (and with Bosyo in that truly bad-ass rock combo for the ages), Cynthia Alexander, Cooky Chua, Mishka Adams, Skarlet, also with Louie Talan, Kakoi Legaspi and Wendell Garcia, among others. Noli has played with them, and we can Zen-ly say they have also played with Noli.

Here’s what you get with Noli: counterpointing accompaniment, vocal melodies running alongside riffs and rhythms, trills, pull-offs, hammer-ons, arpeggios and wild interstellar abstract noodlings, notes going from feathery quiet to tempestuously loud — and the man is only holding one guitar. One acoustic instrument. That all it takes for his storytelling to unfurl.      

Noli still regularly plays at bar@1951 on Adriatico, Malate. As bar owner and fellow musician Butch Aldana would say, come and watch the great ones while they’re still around. (Most people who mourn via their Facebook and Twitter accounts the passing of great musicians or artists gave precisely zero shit when those men or women were still alive playing gigs or exhibiting their artworks.)

Noli the man is also a good friend. Announces your name when he’s onstage. Dedicates a blistering Michael Jackson or Steely Dan medley to you. Shows you card tricks. Tells you about those beautiful foggy days of Pinoy rock n’ roll. Asks you what you want to listen to next. A Day in the Life, okay! Black Hole Sun, sure! Even if he hasn’t played that track in his life, the fingers always find a way. And with a goofy smile, a swig of beer, and a hearty “Aw! Aw! Aw!” after every song.

That’s Noli Aurillo.

Thus it was heartbreaking to learn that Noli, who hails from Tacloban, is still awaiting news (as of this writing) about the whereabouts of his brother, sister, nephew, niece and 94-year-old mother Gemina. Their place was badly hit by Typhoon Yolanda. 

I texted him right away after learning about this from drummer Jayman Alviar. Noli shares, “Nothing much to do except face the battle head on.”

The man was slated to gig at bar@1951 when I last talked to him. That’s what musicians like Noli do — or any other person who haven’t heard from family and friends in Tacloban or other calamity-stricken areas — during times like these. Wait and work and wait.  

Slither on, those sad, sad sounds.

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If you have any news on Gemina Aurillo, Lourdes Aurillo, Francisco Aurillo of V&G Subdivision of Tacloban City, as well as Luningning dela Peña and Poel dela Peña of San Gerardo Heights, SMS Noli Aurillo at 0927-7869825.