Plight of the Buchitoongs

Whew! Just got off from my one-week hiatus in the Caraga region of Northern Mindanao, and I did miss you guys who have been reading us since we embarked on band features in January. When I left for Nasipit, I missed the spark of the Visayas launch of "Pinoy Dream Academy" at the Capitol grounds because I had to make sure my mother and I would be onboard the boat an hour before expected time of departure. And though I could only see from afar the flares of fireworks, I was one with you in pushing the recognition of six of our local talents who took center stage to prove the worth of every Bisdak talent. Salamat kaayo og dako sa inyong suporta, sa tanang pagmahal nga inyong gipakita alang sa mga Bisaya.

Am again on my foot as chronicler of the struggles and victories of our Bisdak bands and I am so glad I'm almost through with the first batch featuring Kabobo, Blood of the Stone, Scrambled Eggs, The Ambassadors, Indephums, Aggressive Audio, Glass of Dirt, Avlish, Phylum, Medias, Mantequilla, Flirt, Makadawa, Raskafarian, Gangrene, All Traffic, Stonestomp, Levi Maboram, Yield, Puppy-Eyed Kirtmen, Republika, Zymurgy, Pasakanin, Ossified, Agipo, Page One, Assembly Language and Birth Control (whattah smorgasbord!). Of course I still have to deal with the possibility of getting my hands on Butuan-based Skiplost because the band deserves recognition too. And that there are the supporters of Ire, New Anthem, Timeslot, Spañul, Castle Freak, and Domestic Grass looking up to the shining moments of these bands. Newayz, no jitters rockers! You will all have the opportunity to bask under the kleiglights of respect and recognition being part of the list of Smashers recommended by propagator of "Bisaya Sounds Unique" - DJ Ram Dizon - due to host a 15-band concert ala Woodstock at the Vimcumtu-ALU Compound by the end of this month for the anniversary of dyLA-AM, 909 kHz on your dial.

Due to availability for interview, I recently hopped on to batch II featuring Lapu-Lapu City's "KDB" otherwise known as Koolerah and d' Digital Buchitoongs comprising Regene "Ejing" Vilvestre, 21, on guitars, of barangay Gun-ob, an Electrical Engineering student at the University of Cebu main campus; 25-year-old bassist Archel Ian Arriesgado, a resident of barangay Sangi who majors in Drafting at CSCST; Ronald Fernandez, vocals, 23, University of Cebu in Lapu-Lapu/Mandaue, taking up Associate in Computer Technology and who is also from Sangi; and Rey "Reguns" Godinez, drums, 23, of PHILSCA and is into Aircraft Maintenance Technology studies.

Their story they revealed is a compilation of so-called jinxes that took them closer to the realization of their aspirations, each time, instead of being shrouded with the veil of disappointment. "Wa'y malas aning grupoha," has already become the band's catchphrase to cut off an imaginary chain that seemingly binds them to jinxes/curses.

"Dili na kaayo mi tantong demalas ron kay okay na ang dagan sa among pagpanukar unlike sa among previous gig nga dili mo-support ang taga sound systems kay saba daw ang mga rockista," recalls the group with an expression that borders between a laugh and a sigh.

Recently, the group performed with Republika and Indephums to the revelry of a crowd of about a hundred for the University of San Carlos-JPIA acquaintance party at the Tambuli Beach Resort, blaring out with the rib-tickling "Estong" brew that was popularized after a vigorous stirring of the concoction of punk, emo, ska, reggae, and grunge influences.

"Hayag ang buwan/ug dili ngitngit ang dalan/ngano bang mahadlok ka man/nga parehas man tang talawan/parehas tang kusog managan/wa ka bay nadunggan/wa ka ba'y nasabtan/bisan og gamay lang/naglabing kahadlok/nanubra ang botbot/pangutan-on di ba isog/puti diayg it**g/sukmati di umangkon/sobra ka bakakon/Estong butboton/talawan di moangkon/Estong butboton/masuko og sungogon/Estong botboton/talawan ra ba gyud intawn."

Maybe the best ingredient why Estong (Butboton) clicked is that there are just too many airheads and dorks around that we could relate to how we had our Golgothas in dealing with them. The song is just a subtle way of saying, "enuff of your crap, bozos!" and "scrammm, jerks!!!"

Meanwhile, "Small World" assimilates romantic lines into the other side of the coin - the sentimentality of KDB. "Nakahinumdom ka paba/kadtong nagkuyog tang duha/nanglakaw sa eskina/atong giapas si Jessa/akong gisulti ang tanan/nga gibati ko kanimo/apan niingon ka "pasensya na gihigugma ko siya"/ Akong gidawat ang tanan/bisan sakit sa akong dughan/magpaabot nga malooy ka/ning kabos nga nahigugma kanimo…"

"Come on, guys, tell me what in the world do koolerah and buchitoongs stand for?" Can't help, but I wheedled for an answer. I understand the previous has something to do with an epidemic that involves a disorder of the digestive system, but the latter? And they chorused: "Wala lang. Reflection lang na's pagka-cool og pagka-sipat sa mga taga KDB. Play-up lang sa mga words. Happy lang gihapon paminawon maskin nagkalisud-lisud og nagkamalas-malas."

But past is the "jinx-y story" of the group. Lately, they were able to perform at the Handuraw Events Café for the Orig All Star event set to happen every Tuesday. The opportunity is a sought relief from all those days of craving to be able to pass auditions; talents sifted through the proverbial eye of a needle by musician Zarah Smith who manages the artists' haven.

Finally, KDB also had a slice of the Handuraw pie that those musicians who went before them had a serving of, when they performed for Zarah's album launching last August 18. After that, they trooped to Casili Hills in Mandaue City for an invitational performance by a community organization. Then on the 19th for the acquaintance party of the Engineering department of the University of Cebu.

On September 15, the Buchitoongs are expected to give away free CDs to friends who would grace the release of their KDB Extended Play album. After all that's been said and done, the life they spent in band-ing didn't deal with the gall of misfortune. It was all part of the determined climb to grab a space on the airwaves, which is what the Buchitoongs are destined for.

Email koolerah@yahoo. com.ph or you can stream the KDB music at purevolume.com. Surf photographs of their recent gigs at koolerah@yahoo. com.ph on their Friendster site.

Shoutouts: Thank you for the support of Ossified. Thanks to the skaters of 7Hall, to Reguns' band "Observe", fellow bands in Opon like Flirt, Zarah of Handuraw, Ram and Bré of Smash FM, Billy, Anthony Chua of BSU Clothing, mascot of Felbert, to parents, friends, relatives, and those who believe in the Buchitoongs. KDB is just so grateful! Mwahz!