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'I covered the Eraserheads x Esquire launch and ended up part of pop culture history'
I was reading my email invite from Pupil manager Day Cabuhat when I got a text from my editor reminding me to take photos of the event later that night. Specifically: celebrities, musicians, socialites, food stacks. Basically, everything.
The event was the Esquire Philippines Travel issue launch. I'm not one to go to those things normally, except this time I had to be there...because the Eraserheads were going to be there. Esquire's September issue mainly revolved around them, an attempt to “make pop culture history” as the magazine's press releases stated.
After all, the issue would include a CD containing two new songs from the Eraserheads, their first new material in 13 years.
I grab my camera, put on a blazer over my Natin99 shirt, and proceed to the Dusit Hotel where the event was held. I wish I had a smaller camera, as DSLRs tend to be inconvenient at an event where you want to schmooze around with friends and fellow musicians as much as you need to work.
Clue number one: Marcus Adoro’s duct-taped pedals
But at the end of the night, it didn't matter. Esquire Philippines did make pop culture history. And I was part of it.
I bump into my former college classmate (and Esquire editor-in-chief) Erwin Romulo and congratulate him for the success of the issue. He shyly shrugged, his face uncharacteristically unexpressive, and obviously overwhelmed by the implications of the night's proceedings. I scoot away so as not to be a bother.
I watch Ourselves the Elves and Cheats onstage. Such amazing young talent. Then someone pointed out that Marcus Adoro's duct tape-happy pedals were spotted onstage. Was there going to be a surprise performance? Crazy thought. But wait, aren't they contractually bound not to play until after 2018?
Bumping into Ely
I spotted the guitar player hanging around at Team Manila's Eheads exhibit at the other end of the venue. It was all old band memorabilia: mixers, guitars, platinum awards. Marcus was giddily fiddling with one of the old mixers. “Grabe, na-miss ko ´to.”
I take more photos of the event, and bump into former bandmate (and occasional Ely Buendia collaborator) Aldus Santos of The Purplechickens, who was with musician and visual artist Gelo Lagasca. Being the small-crowd types that we are, we took a breather outside the hotel. I bump into Ely Buendia himself. “Adrian! Saan ka pupunta?”
I thought for a moment he was about to sing the new single “1995” right then and there. But then again I think of the strangest scenarios.
“Breather lang,” I say. I'm not sure if I did quotation mark gestures.
Things were about to get stranger.
How would Eheads sound today, Erwin Romulo wondered
Singer-model Catriona Gray was the emcee for the night, and invited Erwin onstage to talk about this audacious venture of his. “I just wanted to find out for myself how the Eraserheads would sound like today,” he told me last week during a shoot for the Oktaves. “It was crazy and hectic, but I already got my answer. Another thing off the bucket list.”
Erwin was one of my musical mentors in college, as we dissected band after band in between college plates and classroom shenanigans. I even remember one lazy afternoon when we dissected the Eraserheads' “Casa Fantastica” and its pop nuances. And here he was, onstage. With a now-peaceful grin compared to earlier that night.
He welcomed the Eraserheads onstage, and they did a ceremonial gentleman's toast to the success of the launch and for the fans.
Marcus pokes fun at himself
Roll AVP, where they talked about the process of recording the new singles “Sabado” and “1995.” A guy laughs loudly beside me and I realize it was Marcus again, poking fun at himself in the video.
While the three other guys were shot casually, Makoy was in a bathrobe, lounging in a chair and toting a cigarette.
“Hanep ka ah,” I say. “Dumo-Don Facundo.” Laughter.
Erik ‘On the Job’ Matti directs his first music videos
The music videos directed by Erik Matti (his first foray into directing music videos)—were lovely.
“Sabado” was hilarious, with Ketchup Eusebio playing a stoner going through a series of hilariously tragic events.
“1995” was a fun motion graphics trip. Being a VFX professional myself, I couldn't help but try to figure out the methods used on the band. But the killer was the last shot, with the Eraserheads superimposed on the UP Diliman's Quezon Hall.
Clue number two: techs onstage
It's funny that my alma mater's most famous recent products were college dropouts. But I digress.
As the videos were playing, I noticed techs onstage. Even Purplechickens guitar player Marco Harder (who does guitar tech work for Marcus).
I sensed something else was up, so I inched my way to the front of the stage and secured my camera, wallet, and phone.
Finally: the boys man their instruments
And then the announcement: “Ladies and gentlemen, the Eraserheads!”
Ely, Marcus, Buddy Zabala, and Raymund Marasigan clamber onstage. Marco helps Marcus tune his guitar. Sandwich's Mike Dizon is on the drum kit, and The Dawn's Romel “Sancho” Sanchez on extra guitars. The Dusit crowd goes wild.
In a touchingly grand gesture, Ely invites their first manager (and the guy who discovered them), Robbie Sunico of Club Dredd onstage. I owe Rob my life, as he has saved my band countless number of times from utter oblivion.
“Kung wala si Robbie Sunico, wala ang Eraserheads!”
‘This is not the Eraserheads’ (wink, wink)
“Teka lang, this is not the Eraserheads,” says Raymund. A wink to their current contract.
Ely gestures to the audience, “Shh! You did not see us, okay?”
Raymund jokingly interjects. “This is your favorite band...Sandwich!”
“No,” rebuts Ely. “This is Pupil!”
The drumless drummer retorts, “This is The Dawn, motherfuckers!”
In quick succession: ‘Magasin,’ ‘Sembreak,’ ‘Alapaap’
The Not-Eraserheads (later billed by Robbie as “EpupSand”) proceeds to do the Eheads classic, “Magasin.” The hotel ballroom instantly became Club Dredd Timog all over again, as Raymund did a stagedive in old punk rock fashion. Filmmaker/comedian Jun Sabayton joined him right after.
The audience wanted more, and so did “EPupSand,” apparently. And then “Sembreak” happened. The crowd goes really wild. I make sure to take as many photos as I can to make sure I capture every moment.
The Not-Eraserheads do one final song, as Buddy, Sancho and Marcus do the opening riff to “Alapaap.”
We ARE the Eraserheads
Ely drags film director Quark Henares onstage to sing. I thought, “Wow, this is cool” and I take photos. And then Ely grabs me, and I end up onstage. With a mic. Should I sing? Should I run away? I take one bad photo from my position, and I sing. I see Callalily's Kean Cipriano, Moonstar 88's Maychelle Baay and Jun Sabayton on the other end join us as well. I panic for a moment.
You see, I'm bad at memorizing songs. Despite me being a band frontman, too.
But apparently I know the song by heart. And it helped that everyone in the room was singing as well. As far as we were concerned that night...all of us in the ballroom were the Eraserheads.
And then it was over. I check my phone, and apparently my editor sent me a text meant for a different Adrian. Adrian the photographer, not Adrian the writer.
Yahoo blogger Adrian Arcega is a TV and music video director who worked on the animation for Ely Buendia's "Bang Bang Alley." He also sings for the band Stereodeal, whose album will be out next month.
