Nothing like a dose of rock ‘n’ roll to get one’s mind off bombastic, ridiculous, sun-moon-and-the-freaking-stars campaign promises. Which almost border on the supernatural. Yes, I’d rather listen to Eddie Vedder or Eddie Van Halen than to their namesake – the guy with imaginary helicopters, messianic complex, as well as the worst hairpiece in the history of Philippine politics. He’s insufferable. But more infuriating are the candidates who seem to have grown a social conscience overnight – probably when movie offers started dwindling or when the socialite parties became boring. Now, all of a sudden, they care about the country. Isn’t that special?
But there are really some good candidates out there. All we have to do is put their names on our ballot. Rather than being apolitical, not giving a shit about what happens to our beloved republic, or just rolling up to die. The event, I learned from MTV Philippines corporate affairs director Rod Nepomuceno, has that in mind: To encourage young voters to be more pro-active, more concerned and more informed, as well as to exercise their right in the upcoming elections. And if anybody could get through these kids, it’s rock music and MTV.
"MTV is the one medium that’s trusted by the youth," says Nepomuceno. "In this critical time in our country’s history, we believe that it is important for us to remind our viewers of the important role that they play in the coming May 11 elections."
The youth have the power. Consider the stats: The youth population is estimated to be 24 million, which is 29 percent of the total population of the Philippines and approximately 49 percent of the entire voting population. And they are the ones who have the biggest stake in the upcoming elections. Ideally, if young voters only get their shit together, they can do something positive by electing candidates who have the welfare of the nation in mind, candidates who are not hell-bent on piling a monolith of money, candidates whose major areas of concern are education, employment, health and the environment – our concerns. Not those who suddenly heard the booming voice of "God" and decided to be president.
Rivermaya was first on the bill. I think "Atom Bomb" and "Trip" are two of the best OPM albums in recent years. Although Rivermaya finds itself in a constant state of flux (personnel changes, little controversies, etc.), the Rico Blanco-led band has managed to create really intelligent pop music. The man is a damn good songwriter.
The band began its set with Love to Share, the carrier single off "Between the Stars and Waves." The new wave vibe of the song lent itself to Rico singing a few snippets from Echo & The Bunnymen’s The Killing Moon and the Psychedelic Furs’ Heaven. Rico, drummer Mark Escueta, bassist Japs Sergio and guitarist Mike Elgar (minus other guitarist Kakoi Legaspi who couldn’t make the gig) also played Kisapmata, Elesi, Umaaraw, Umuulan, and Awit ng Kabataan. In Awit, Rico gave a spiel a la Bono.
"I wrote this song 10 years ago," the frontman said, adding that Awit is still relevant today because it is about "love, faith, courage and unity" – the very things we Filipinos need to pull ourselves out of the muck of disillusionment. To really underscore how relevant Awit ng Kabataan is, it was sung twice in the MTV Rock the Vote gig. Bamboo Mañalac, erstwhile Rivermaya vocalist, and the rest of Bamboo performed it later in the evening. Hmm…
R&B singer Arnee was the next performer. She sang an Alicia Keys cover. After that, the singer said she was going to perform the carrier single from her debut album. She sang a Francis Magalona cover. Yep, this is the same girl who did a Spandau Ballet revival. OK, bathroom break. I wanted to tell my companions to wake me up when it was no longer Pop the Vote.
Barbie’s Cradle was the third act on the bill. I always enjoy watching bassist Rommel de la Cruz and drummer Wendell Garcia play off each other. They make it look so easy, so effortless. Hey, the bass guitar and the drums are not easy instruments to play (considering the masters who blazed the trail for the rhythm section – bassist Jaco Pastorius, drummer Tony Williams, etc.). And singer/guitarist Barbie Almalbis with her endearing pixie appeal is such a thrill to watch, too.
The trio did Torpe, Limang Dipang Tao, Independence Day and All I Need. Barbie quoted Rico Blanco about the power of the youth. She also mentioned a George Washington maxim about leaders and God.
Nina came next. I didn’t care whether she sang schmaltzy ballads from Steve Perry (Foolish Heart) and Ric Segreto (Loving You). The girl exuded pink charisma. She was such a charmer. And she had something to say to the audience: "Vote not just for yourself, but also for the country." Whatever that means, I agree wholeheartedly.
Imago did a couple of old songs (such as the brilliant Idlip) and some new ones (like that catchy tune involving numbers, sort of like the Pamela song).
Next was Thai pop sensation Tata Young, who lip-synched and danced with four burly dudes – two Vanness Wus and two R. Kellys. Put Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Mandy Moore and Coco Lee in a blender and what do you get? No, not a bloody pulp, but – ta dah! – Tata Young. That’s how generic she looked and sounded. But the Cebu crowd loved her, probably because of that revealing baby blue, see-through dress, which showcased her luscious thighs.
For her first number, Young sang something straight from the Britney Spears songwriting swill mill. Sexy... Naughty... Bitchy... Me. You could tell a lot of thought came into penning those lyrics. Maybe even a group of rocket scientists locked horns just to come up with that. Her next song was exactly like it. The third song was a token ballad, which would go well with images of Kate Winslet carrying Leonardo DiCaprio to safety inside the sinking Titanic.
"Give a clap to yourself," Tata told the crowd.
Thank the gods of rock gigs that Sandwich came out to put things in order. I dig this band, mainly because of guitarist Diego Castillo’s understated brilliance with the Telecaster. In one song (Two Trick Pony, I think, from Sandwich’s new album "Thanks to the Moon’s Gravitational Pull"), Raimund Marasigan plays a distorted, syncopated riff, while Diego dishes out a big, melodic, Chorus-y solo. Those chirpy notes cut through the noise like laser.
For its last song, Sandwich played the anthemic Butterfly Carnival, another really great tune.
And then came Bamboo. Yeah, the Bamboo Mañalac-fronted group – which also features former Riverymaya bassist Nathan Azarcon and two guys from Passage, guitarist Ira Cruz and drummer Vic Mercado – did a "cover" of Awit ng Kabataan. Which elicited an inscrutable reaction from the unflappable Rivermaya manager Lizza Nakpil.
"Hey, it’s jazzier," I said, pointing out Ira’s solo. (The guitarist digs jazz titans like Miles Davis and John Coltrane.)
"Well, it’s slower," snapped Nakpil.
Noypi, the hit single and jingle for the MTV Rock the Vote event, was hugely popular with the crowd.
Really hip bands Sugarfree and Urbandub also played the MTV Rock the Vote gig and proved that Pinoy rock has a big fat future ahead. Wait, what about our future as a nation? Well, we could vote and let our ballots do the talking, or we could just stay apathetic and not care whether the reins of government go to bunglers, boors and buffoons.