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THERE
were the usual little young punks, those reed-thin teens
dressed in black skintight jeans, even blacker shirts
and boots. Their hairstyles go back to the early 1980s,
with spikes on one side and long bangs on the other. The
last guy we remember sporting that was not Sid Vicious
or Billy Idol but Romnick Sarmienta during his That’s
Entertainment days. No kidding. We’re at the culminating
event of the first leg of Rhum on the Rock series of
free concerts, which took place from sunset till
midnight two Fridays ago at the Liwasang Ullalim of the
Cultural
Center
of the Philippines Complex. The open-to-the-public event
was meant to promote Tanduay, a local rum brand, in
partnership with NU 107.
Rhum on
the Rock has been to key cities nationwide, encompassing
a year-and-a-half. The leader of the pack is young local
rock band 6 Cyclemind, which was catapulted to fame via
its very first hit titled “Sige.” It has the catchy
chorus, “Ayos lang, basta’t kasama, konting alak lang,
kahit walang pulutan.” Loosely translated:
“Everything will be OK as long as we’re together, with a
few drinks, even without appetizers.”
‘KAHIT WALANG PULUTAN’.
Young bands like 6 Cyclemind lead the Rhum on the Rock
series of concerts nationwide.
During
live shows, vocalist Ney Dimaculangan would rephrase it
with “basta’t may Tanduay, kahit walang pulutan.”
Because of that, 6 Cyclemind got a deal with Tanduay to
be its official endorser.
The band
played at about
9 pm, and it wasn’t surprising to see those punkilitos
(little punks) slam-dancing in areas near the stage.
They were part of various groups from different parts of
Mega Manila. With banners being raised every minute,
their names were quite intriguing: Lost Boys Parañaque,
Pandacan Kanto Boys, Novaliches Bitches, Cavite Punks
and Hampas Lupa ng Tondo.
They
were restless kids, dancing and roaming around as if
they’d each consumed a pitcher of espresso. Despite
having a liquor company as sole sponsor of the event,
the booths around offered no alcoholic drinks, just
cigarettes, candies, soft drinks and galloons of mineral
water that can be bought for P5 per plastic cup. Thrice,
we were approached by these young, huffing, hapless
punks to share with them our cup.
At first
we felt danger but, eventually, empathy overwhelmed us
as we learned later on that they couldn’t even afford to
pay the jeepney fare to get out of the CCP Complex.
These kids belong to that rare species of music lovers,
who would walk for miles just to watch their favorite
bands. They were there for the sheer love of rock music.
For
someone who has attended countless rock concerts
sponsored by beer and liquor companies in the last
decade-and-a-half, we know that serving alcohol in such
events would be akin to throwing a kilo of pork in a
pool with schools of piranhas that have been unfed for a
week.
The
concert series is meant to serve as venue for the brand
to interact with its target market. For decades, Tanduay
has been the most affordable rum we can avail of even in
the most remote sari-sari store in Tawi-Tawi or Batanes.
It’s an
economical alternative. The price of five local beers is
the same as, if not more than, one-liter bottle of
Tanduay (long neck). And we get the same alcoholic bliss
without the beer belly.
We
managed to endure those young new bands whose names and
sounds we now can’t recall. They all sounded alike
anyway as they tried to imitate new foreign rock bands
with similarly forgettable outputs.
What
made us stay till
midnight was
Sandwich, that supergroup that shaped our 35-year-old psyche and, for
sure, members of younger generations.
The
10-year-old Sandwich was the band that Marasigan formed
with musicians from other bands, like Mike Dizon of
Teeth (“Laklak”), Diego Castillo of The Aga Muhlach
Experience, Mong Alcaraz of Chicosci, and Marasigan’s
own wife, Myrene Academia, DJ of NU 107 and guitarist
for Imago.
Besides
its hits “Sugod” and “Betamax,” what brought us dancing
with the punkilitos was the final number.
Together with other vocalists, Marasigan led the singing
of the surprise finale “Laklak.”
Hearing
them all screaming the chorus—“Kabilin-bilinan ng
lola/H’wag nang uminom ng serbesa/ Ito’y hindi inuming
pangbata...”—was a trip down our alcohol-damaged
memory lane. Its loose translation: “Grandma’s golden
advice, never drink beer. It’s not for kids....”
Subtly,
the song discourages punkilitos to drink beer.
Instead, drink rum.
The good
news is that Rhum on the Rock will start its second leg
this month with another 54 events that will last until
2009, fulfilling its promise of 108 concerts nationwide
as a way to thank loyal Tanduay drinkers.
Judging
from what happened that night, the music is what
matters. Anything you drink, pop in or inhale to enhance
the experience always comes with dire consequences that
you have to deal with the morning after.
Even
Billy Idol and Romnick would agree to that. |
