Ibanez SR5006E (click photo to view source)
"Thanks for the lost cause."
These are among the words that Gabriel uttered as he wipes his electric six-string bass guitar with a silk handkerchief. As the said instrument lies like a child on his lap, music plays in the background. It was a CD of the band wherein he used to play with. His bass lines were not just audible, they were melodic.
Theirs was not just a music, but a progressive ideology. It was the tenet of principle over popularity.
Theirs was not just a career but a way of life. It was the way of life that outshines the rise-now-set-tomorrow. It was the sacred doctrine of spiritual enlightenment over the spotlight.
He stood up and walked towards the CD player. He turned it off. "I’ll miss you!" he whispered, teary-eyed.
He took the CD from the player and put it in its case. His eyes crashed onto the inlay of the album. There it got stranded. Then he read the dedications handwritten by various people.
One dedication stood out. It reads, "Thanks for all the guidance Kuya Gabby! Yours always, Kathy!"
Gabriel quickly closed the case and threw it somewhere. He didn’t really know where it landed. It might be on the sofa, he supposed, for there was no sound of shattering plastic.
He grabbed his bass guitar and carefully placed it in its hard case. Upon closing the hard case, he tied his shoulder-length hair and wore his eye glasses. Then he left.
He has grown lots of hair. Such hair is a testimony of the length of time since the good old days. Gabriel was still playing with a rock band with Kathy as their vocalist. Those were the days when boy bands were being placed on the shame basket of the music scene. He was bald then and got a 20-20 vision. From their uncompromising renditions of covers from Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and Juan dela Cruz Band, to their all-music-no-gimmicks original compositions, the band’s ticket to success is having a pretty, innocent looking female vocalist exhibiting her vocal prowess over songs that have been identified with the male caliber.
It has been five years.
And in the span of five years, with three multi-platinum CD’s under their belts, their TV guestings have become more often, with the camera focused on Kathy of course. Everything followed quickly for Kathy: a role in a movie, a pictorial in a sexy magazine, and product endorsements.
Until one day the stairway to heaven became highway to hell. Kathy went solo, leaving the band behind.
Well, Kathy initially asked everyone’s help in her first attempt to play "something different". This, according to her, is a career move that will make their music more accessible to more people. But Kathy was not just asking for help. For her, that was a one-way road, and the band got two options: to agree with her or not to disagree with her. The drummer, guitarist, and keyboardist rejected the whole idea, and as a result they disbanded. Kathy decided to pursue her career move on her own. This is when she decided to go solo.
Oh, what about Gabriel? Did he agree or disagree?
That fateful moment he kept his silence. He wanted to disagree with Kathy, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t believe that the Kathy he has known for years has already been helplessly consumed by the bandwagon effect. That his dear comrade is now playing something different.
And that something different is pop music.
On a busy street, Gabriel walked past a big streamer. It reads, "Who will be the first Minstrel? To vote, type MINSTREL <SPACE> [YOUR VOTE] and send to ####"
"It’s nice to see you again. Finally!" he whispered.
He hailed a cab. The cab took the northbound lane of Edsa. Along Edsa were several streamers for Minstrel, the singing contest sponsored by a huge broadcasting network.
The driver asked him, "Bossing matanong ko kayo, sino ba ang manok niyo dun sa Minstrel?"
Gabriel replied, "Si Kathy. Ikaw, kanino ka ba?"
"Ako? Kay Mitch ako bossing! Kasi para sa akin bukod sa may puwersa ang boses niya mas marami siyang kayang kantahin eh," the driver answered.
Gabriel discreetly smiled. He was so glad that there’s someone in the grassroots who still got upright sense of musicality.
He realized that it was wrong to underestimate the driver’s taste. He should have told the driver who his real bet was.
His mobile phone buzzed. It was an SMS message. It reads, "hoy gaby san k n?and2 n mga 2ro2t boys!pls txt bak."
He replied, "nakampocha nmn ang aga p huh.2pm p lng mmya pang 6pm ang finals.mshado kayong atat.and2 nako s boni.on d way nako.sbhin mo pala kay mike may dala akong xtra kable."
It has been five years.
It has been five years since the last time he played a Razorback song. Nowadays he has been keeping himself very busy practicing the bass lines of Mishka Adams’ songs.
Yes, tonight he’ll be playing not just something new but also for someone new.
The driver went back on him. The driver asked, "Eh bossing ano naman ang maikokomento niyo dun sa manok ko?"
He replied, "Well, walang dudang magaling talaga siya. Lalo kung standard jazz ang pag-uusapan. Kaso hindi ko kasi gusto ‘yung pagpe-perform niya eh. Masyado siyang malikot at minsan nanghaharot pa ng kabanda. Hindi tuloy ako makapag-concentrate sa bass ko."
"Ha!? Ano’ng ibig niyong sabihin bossing?"
"Ah, wala. Basta magaling siya."
"Bossing parang may kamukha kayo."
"Sino?"
"Uhm… si Pepe Smith!"
"Gago!"
These are among the words that Gabriel uttered as he wipes his electric six-string bass guitar with a silk handkerchief. As the said instrument lies like a child on his lap, music plays in the background. It was a CD of the band wherein he used to play with. His bass lines were not just audible, they were melodic.
Theirs was not just a music, but a progressive ideology. It was the tenet of principle over popularity.
Theirs was not just a career but a way of life. It was the way of life that outshines the rise-now-set-tomorrow. It was the sacred doctrine of spiritual enlightenment over the spotlight.
He stood up and walked towards the CD player. He turned it off. "I’ll miss you!" he whispered, teary-eyed.
He took the CD from the player and put it in its case. His eyes crashed onto the inlay of the album. There it got stranded. Then he read the dedications handwritten by various people.
One dedication stood out. It reads, "Thanks for all the guidance Kuya Gabby! Yours always, Kathy!"
Gabriel quickly closed the case and threw it somewhere. He didn’t really know where it landed. It might be on the sofa, he supposed, for there was no sound of shattering plastic.
He grabbed his bass guitar and carefully placed it in its hard case. Upon closing the hard case, he tied his shoulder-length hair and wore his eye glasses. Then he left.
He has grown lots of hair. Such hair is a testimony of the length of time since the good old days. Gabriel was still playing with a rock band with Kathy as their vocalist. Those were the days when boy bands were being placed on the shame basket of the music scene. He was bald then and got a 20-20 vision. From their uncompromising renditions of covers from Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and Juan dela Cruz Band, to their all-music-no-gimmicks original compositions, the band’s ticket to success is having a pretty, innocent looking female vocalist exhibiting her vocal prowess over songs that have been identified with the male caliber.
It has been five years.
And in the span of five years, with three multi-platinum CD’s under their belts, their TV guestings have become more often, with the camera focused on Kathy of course. Everything followed quickly for Kathy: a role in a movie, a pictorial in a sexy magazine, and product endorsements.
Until one day the stairway to heaven became highway to hell. Kathy went solo, leaving the band behind.
Well, Kathy initially asked everyone’s help in her first attempt to play "something different". This, according to her, is a career move that will make their music more accessible to more people. But Kathy was not just asking for help. For her, that was a one-way road, and the band got two options: to agree with her or not to disagree with her. The drummer, guitarist, and keyboardist rejected the whole idea, and as a result they disbanded. Kathy decided to pursue her career move on her own. This is when she decided to go solo.
Oh, what about Gabriel? Did he agree or disagree?
That fateful moment he kept his silence. He wanted to disagree with Kathy, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t believe that the Kathy he has known for years has already been helplessly consumed by the bandwagon effect. That his dear comrade is now playing something different.
And that something different is pop music.
On a busy street, Gabriel walked past a big streamer. It reads, "Who will be the first Minstrel? To vote, type MINSTREL <SPACE> [YOUR VOTE] and send to ####"
"It’s nice to see you again. Finally!" he whispered.
He hailed a cab. The cab took the northbound lane of Edsa. Along Edsa were several streamers for Minstrel, the singing contest sponsored by a huge broadcasting network.
The driver asked him, "Bossing matanong ko kayo, sino ba ang manok niyo dun sa Minstrel?"
Gabriel replied, "Si Kathy. Ikaw, kanino ka ba?"
"Ako? Kay Mitch ako bossing! Kasi para sa akin bukod sa may puwersa ang boses niya mas marami siyang kayang kantahin eh," the driver answered.
Gabriel discreetly smiled. He was so glad that there’s someone in the grassroots who still got upright sense of musicality.
He realized that it was wrong to underestimate the driver’s taste. He should have told the driver who his real bet was.
His mobile phone buzzed. It was an SMS message. It reads, "hoy gaby san k n?and2 n mga 2ro2t boys!pls txt bak."
He replied, "nakampocha nmn ang aga p huh.2pm p lng mmya pang 6pm ang finals.mshado kayong atat.and2 nako s boni.on d way nako.sbhin mo pala kay mike may dala akong xtra kable."
It has been five years.
It has been five years since the last time he played a Razorback song. Nowadays he has been keeping himself very busy practicing the bass lines of Mishka Adams’ songs.
Yes, tonight he’ll be playing not just something new but also for someone new.
The driver went back on him. The driver asked, "Eh bossing ano naman ang maikokomento niyo dun sa manok ko?"
He replied, "Well, walang dudang magaling talaga siya. Lalo kung standard jazz ang pag-uusapan. Kaso hindi ko kasi gusto ‘yung pagpe-perform niya eh. Masyado siyang malikot at minsan nanghaharot pa ng kabanda. Hindi tuloy ako makapag-concentrate sa bass ko."
"Ha!? Ano’ng ibig niyong sabihin bossing?"
"Ah, wala. Basta magaling siya."
"Bossing parang may kamukha kayo."
"Sino?"
"Uhm… si Pepe Smith!"
"Gago!"
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