Life!

Two for the trip

Our Vispop 3.0 picks

The six finalists for the Vispop 3.0

The six finalists for the Vispop 3.0

IT’S easy to thumb one’s nose at songwriting contests and pop music festivals and say that Lennon-McCartney, Jagger-Richards, Burt Bacharach, and Joni Mitchel didn’t join any of these, or that the Eurovision, which has been around for decades hasn’t produced a worldwide hit.

But then again, Freddie Aguilar’s folk-country tale of a prodigal son “Anak,” and Lucien Letaba’s Waray poetry set to bossa nova “Balud” are both products of music festivals.

They were not the grand winners though.

So we take our hats off to Vispop for coming up with two bisrak/bisdak classics in its third year of existence. One of these is the Budoy-esque ditty “Tug Ta Tug.” The other is the funky ode to kanto life “Brgy. Blues.”

 

LQ (Sige La’g Away)Written by Adam Niel CorveraPerformed by Eugene Corpin of Aggressive Audio and Julyann UyBack-up vocals performed by Eugene Corpin, Julyann Uy and Adam CorveraAll instruments arranged, performed and recorded by Felipe Anjelo Calinawan at 1032 Recording StudiosAll tracks recorded and mixed by Jad Bantug at 1032 Recording StudiosProduced by Jude GitamondocLyric video produced by Draft Creative GroupBOTARI ANG INYONG PABORITONG VISPOP 3.0 SONG!1 point per Like on the video posted on the Vispop page. For Likes to be counted, one must Like the Vispop page first, and then Like the video from there.2 points per Share on the link posted on the Vispop page. For Shares to be counted, one may Share from any post.#bisayaauy #vispop #TeamLQ

Posted by Vispop on Wednesday, June 17, 2015

 

BRGY. BLUESWritten by Andy CalopePerformed by Earl Andrei OrnopiaBack-up vocals performed by Earl Andrei Ornopia and Kenneth CorveraAll instruments arranged, performed and recorded by Jad Bantug at 1032 Recording StudiosAll tracks recorded and mixed by Jad Bantug at 1032 Recording StudiosProduced by Jude GitamondocLyric video produced by Draft Creative GroupBOTARI ANG INYONG PABORITONG VISPOP 3.0 SONG!1 point per Like on the video posted on the Vispop page. For Likes to be counted, one must Like the Vispop page first, and then Like the video from there.2 points per Share on the link posted on the Vispop page. For Shares to be counted, one may Share from any post.#bisayaauy #vispop #TeamBrgyBlues

Posted by Vispop on Wednesday, June 17, 2015

 

 

While the judging of the six Vispop 3.0 finalists will be on Friday, June 26, at SM Cinema 1, we at the Life section have  picked these two as our top choices. In fact, these two songs are already in our all-time faves.

The burst of creative energy in “Tug Ta Tug” is unbeatable. The use of a linguistic contraction into a beat—”ug maypay matug ta tug ta tug ta tug”— just blows my mind. Only a true Bisdak can come up with this twist and you can bet I’m green with envy. The song is addictive and contagious. We at home join the chorus—”Moginhawag laluuuuum…”—when the FB video is played. Many things come to mind while listening to this song. One, I’d like to make a video of this song with Crisanto Etorma as videographer and the UC cheerleaders as interpreters.

When I learned that they are from Dumaguete I can’t help but wonder if they are not having some tongue-in-cheek fun with the phrase “matug ta” since the Dumaguete term is “matulog ta.” Maybe the two guys who made the song hang out in Lab-as and Hayahay Treehouse Bar. I sure want to have whatever it is that they are having there.

Comparisons with Jr. Kilat are inevitable due to the beat and singing style. The “Tug” guys are less serious and thus funnier. Kilat deals with military corruption, substance abuse, and folk mythology, while these Dumagueteños deal with everyday woes. It’s like they’re Andrew E to Kilat’s Francis M, or Jackie Chan to the latter’s Bruce Lee.

The first thing you will notice in “Brgy. Blues” is the catchiness of the tune and the dexterity of the musicians. It might be blasphemous to compare them with the rock gods but, yes, their sense of musicality brings to mind the Red Hot Chilli Peppers or Steely Dan. The allusion to the Peppers has to do with the song’s mastery of funk, while the Dan connection has to do with the adlibs. This shouldn’t come as a shocker though as Steely Dan is made up of many different musicians, and many Pinoys (including Cebuanos) make it internationally as world- class session musicians.

Both “Tug Ta Tug” and “Brgy. Blues” make good use of humor and tight musical arrangements. But while the former deals only with the dilemma of young adult life, the latter has a societal dimension as it tackles the effect of Tanduay on a community and the individual who aspires to do good. Though it’s not a serious critique against alcohol, the song in a funny way reveals some cultural insights on who we are as a people at a barangay level.

By the way, “Tug Ta Tug” is written by Jerry Angelo Catarata and Earnest Hope Tinambacen, who also does the vocals. “Brgy. Blues” is written by Ande Calope and performed by Earl Andrei Ornopia.

The other entries include the Zia Quizon-evoking “Buwag Balik” by Lourdes May Maglinte; “LQ” by Adam Neil Corvera, which reminds us of the lighter songs of Missing Filemon, the “standard” sounding “Pangandoy” by John Stephen Cadelina and Irving Ladanan Guazon; and “Bok Love” by Felipe Anjelo Calinawan and Therese Marie Villarante that harks back to the Lisa Loeb-Edie Brickell genre.

LQ (Sige La’g Away)Written by Adam Niel CorveraPerformed by Eugene Corpin of Aggressive Audio and Julyann UyBack-up vocals performed by Eugene Corpin, Julyann Uy and Adam CorveraAll instruments arranged, performed and recorded by Felipe Anjelo Calinawan at 1032 Recording StudiosAll tracks recorded and mixed by Jad Bantug at 1032 Recording StudiosProduced by Jude GitamondocLyric video produced by Draft Creative GroupBOTARI ANG INYONG PABORITONG VISPOP 3.0 SONG!1 point per Like on the video posted on the Vispop page. For Likes to be counted, one must Like the Vispop page first, and then Like the video from there.2 points per Share on the link posted on the Vispop page. For Shares to be counted, one may Share from any post.#bisayaauy #vispop #TeamLQ

Posted by Vispop on Wednesday, June 17, 2015

 

PANGANDOYWritten by John Stephen Cadelina and Irving Ladanan GuazonPerformed by Daryl LeongBack-up vocals performed by Daryl Leong and Irving GuazonAll instruments arranged, performed and recorded by Jad Bantug at 1032 Recording StudiosAll tracks recorded and mixed by Jad Bantug at 1032 Recording StudiosProduced by Jude GitamondocLyric video produced by Pads AnimationBOTARI ANG INYONG PABORITONG VISPOP 3.0 SONG!1 point per Like on the video posted on the Vispop page. For Likes to be counted, one must Like the Vispop page first, and then Like the video from there.2 points per Share on the link posted on the Vispop page. For Shares to be counted, one may Share from any post.#bisayaauy #vispop #TeamPangandoy

Posted by Vispop on Wednesday, June 17, 2015

 

BOK LOVEWritten by Felipe Anjelo Calinawan and Therese Marie VillarantePerformed by Therese Marie Villarante and Kurt FickBack-up vocals performed by Daryl LeongAll instruments arranged, performed and recorded by Felipe Anjelo Calinawan at 1032 Recording StudiosAll tracks recorded and mixed by Jad Bantug at 1032 Recording StudiosProduced by Jude GitamondocLyric video produced by Pads AnimationBOTARI ANG INYONG PABORITONG VISPOP 3.0 SONG!1 point per Like on the video posted on the Vispop page. For Likes to be counted, one must Like the Vispop page first, and then Like the video from there.2 points per Share on the link posted on the Vispop page. For Shares to be counted, one may Share from any post.#bisayaauy #vispop #TeamBokLove

Posted by Vispop on Wednesday, June 17, 2015

 

BUWAG BALIKWritten by Lourdes May MaglintePerformed by Lourdes May MaglinteBack-up vocals performed by Daryl Leong and Lourdes May MaglinteAll instruments arranged, performed and recorded by Jad Bantug at 1032 Recording StudiosAll tracks recorded and mixed by Jad Bantug at 1032 Recording StudiosProduced by Jude GitamondocLyric video produced by Draft Creative GroupBOTARI ANG INYONG PABORITONG VISPOP 3.0 SONG!1 point per Like on the video posted on the Vispop page. For Likes to be counted, one must Like the Vispop page first, and then Like the video from there.2 points per Share on the link posted on the Vispop page. For Shares to be counted, one may Share from any post.#bisayaauy #vispop #TeamBuwagBalik

Posted by Vispop on Wednesday, June 17, 2015

 

 

TAGS: art, Cebu, Cebuano, music
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