Year: 2013

  • American pop punk band, Man Overboard is set to bring heat to Manila this Christmas season on December 19 at the SkyDome, SM North Edsa. Tickets are available at SM Tickets nationwide for only 1,150php. Invite your friends, defend pop punk!

  • PULP Live World proudly announces that popular Canadian synth-indie rock band METRIC will perform in Manila for the first time this December 5, 2013, Thursday at Samsung Hall, SM Aura, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig. The band comprised of Joules Scott-Key (drums), Joshua Winstead (bass/ synthesizers), James Shaw (lead and rhythm guitar/synthesizers) and enigmatic frontwoman Emily Haines (lead vocals/synthesizers/guitar) will be performing their wide repertoire of rock radio hits and cult favorites such as “Black Sheep,” “Stadium Love,” “Eclipse (All Yours),” “Monster Hospital,” “Gimme Sympathy,” “Help, I’m Alive” and “Sick Muse” as well as songs from their latest full-length release Synthetica such as “Speed the Collapse,” “Youth Without Youth” and “Breathing Underwater.”

    Metric is regarded as one of Canada’s most successful indie groups having amassed critical acclaim, awards and Gold and Platinum Records throughout their career. They have released a number of EPs, a live DVD and five full-length albums: Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? (2003), Live It Out (2005), Grow Up and Blow Away (2007), Fantasies (2009) and Synthetica (2012). Metric has won a good number of awards from the Juno Awards, the most prestigious music award-giving bodies in Canada: “Group of the Year” and “Alternative Album of the Year” in 2010 and “Recording Package of the Year,” “Producer of the Year” and “Alternative Album of the Year” this year. Haines and Shaw are also part of Broken Social Scene, another well-loved indie rock outfit from Canada. Their music has been widely used in a number of commercials and popular films, most prominent of which are “Eclipse (All Yours)” from Twilight Saga: Eclipse, the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack to Cosmopolis with highly-respected composer Howard Shore and “Black Sheep,” which was performed by Hollywood actress Brie Larsen in the film adaptation of the graphic novel Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. In the original graphic novel version of the latter, author Bryan Lee O’Malley said that the singing poses of lead female character Envy Adams were inspired by Haines.

    The band is widely known for being highly-impressive and entertaining live performers. They have performed in many of the world’s biggest music festivals: Coachella, Osheaga, Bluesfest, Pemberton, All Points West, Glastonbury, Bumbershoot, Virgin Festival, Download Festival, Pukkelpop, Squamish, South by Southwest (SxSW), Sasquatch!, La Route Du Rock, The Great Escape, Edgefest, Reading and Leeds Festival, Rock Werchter, Wireless, Splendour in the Grass, Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits. Metric has graced prominent American TV shows such as The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Late Show with David Letterman, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, VH1 Divas, Later… with Jools Holland, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Last Call with Carson Daly. The list of artists who have shared the stage with Metric is an impressive mix of the coolest and most prominent: Stars, Passion Pit, Arcade Fire, Bloc Party, Muse and The Rolling Stones (who once handpicked the band to open for them), among many others.

    METRIC Live in Manila is presented by PULP Live World. Tickets to this eccentric and fun show are available exclusively at SM Tickets.

  • PULP Live World proudly brings you SUPER SHOW 5, the second world concert tour and fifth international tour by K-Pop boy band, SUPER JUNIOR in support of their sixth studio album, Sexy, Free & Single. Witness their explosive and breathtaking one-night concert this October 24, 2013 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

    Super Junior are one of the top Korean boy bands in the world today. They are known for their catchy and addicting hits, “Sorry, Sorry,” “Bonamana,” and “Mr. Simple.” Since their debut in 2005, they have released six studio albums and this year will be taking on the world with the biggest tour yet, Super Show 5. Catch Siwon, Donghae, Eunhyuk, Kyuhyun, Ryeowook, Sungmin, Shindong, and the return of Kangin, along with Super Junior-M members, Henry and Zhoumi, as they bring you the most amazing show of your lives.

    SUPER SHOW 5 is produced by PULP Live World this October 24th at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Hello and welcome back to The RIG’s Den, from your friendly online store/column-churning dude/reference guy. For this month’s column we’ll be tackling DIYing and the homegrown home-built boutique scene; and as bonus, a quick rundown of a recent guitar project that I did. Here’s an earlier review of my guitar tricks.They say that necessity is the mother of invention. Many a time when humankind has created tools that would have eased his daily tasks. It is as they say what makes us humans unique. For the Filipino musician this holds very true there have been countless innovative inventors turned entrepreneurs who have made it their business to provide what the working class budget conscious musician might ever need.I’m talking about gigbag makers, pedal builders, self styled luthiers and other DIYers. Most of you know them from the internet sites and online communities.In this day and age it no longer is just about the technology and the knowhow. The internet has made it possible for people with little to no formal training and education to gain access to the technical knowledge. I know there are some musicians who have started making their own musical projects in their own homes.

The DIY scene (if there is such a thing) is really something else and it’s great to see many Filipinos have followed suit, some have built names in creating and marketing their handmade creations and there have been a number of ardent supporters backing them up.For me though, I mostly got into DIY it for the curiosity and as they say if necessity was indeed the mother of invention, the mothers of my invention was lack of money and the boredom from not doing anything at the time. *** Here’s a quick rundown of my recent double neck guitar build:I watched MacGyver (80-90s reference-go Google that now) a couple of times and I built a prize winning stringed instrument for a physics fair in high school. So I said fuck it maybe I can do this myself. A few years ago I taught myself how to solder and trained with basic woodworking tools with Google and YouTube as my main references. Fast forward to 2012. I finally felt that I was hardly enough to offer my services to the public. Last year I did a short stint at THE RIG repairing guitars and basses but due to my busy busy schedule and a newfound day job, decided to lay low with the guitar repair business but that didn’t stop me from DIYing.For some time now it has been my dream to own a double neck guitar. Of course one was not readily available in the Philippines. And when I chanced upon a double neck model here, I thought I cost too much and is not built as good for the price of the guitar.I planned and planned, tried to save some money then, it hit me, since I already have some tools, I thought why not build my own double neck guitar? The premise was simple build a double neck guitar for less than 6000 pesos, the cost of a decent second hand instrument. It cannot cost more than that because I didn’t have the extra cash for the project. I also thought that it would be fun for me to make one.I designed mine so that it would not have just a guitar but also a bass on the upper neck.

The guitar was to be constructed from two defective instruments I purchased off of the internet. Once I completed my purchase I disassembled both instruments and measured the areas for cutting.Since, I did not own a circular table saw I decided to take the bass body and the guitar body to a furniture shop that will cut and set it (with strong wood adhesive) for me. It took them 3 days.

Once that was done, I re-assembled the necks and tested it, I didn’t want to spend extra on the pickups so I dug up my old bin of used parts, I used a soap bar type pickup for the bass and I’ll be installing a used mini rail hum bucker at the neck position of the guitar ( since I didn’t want a single coil type pickup at the neck position I just put the hum bucker there –). Once that was done and out of the way I proceeded to use a coping saw to create a finer cut away in between the two necks.The bass part had a basic volume knob while the guitar had a volume knob and retained its 5 way selector. The tone knob was wired in such a way that it would affect both necks.One of the famous dudes who owned a double neck was Mr. Big bassist Billy Sheehan, his always had separate outputs so that he could plug which ever “neck” he wanted to thru different amplifiers. I thought “Hey! That would be good”, but then after the first prototype I thought to myself that it would mean that I needed to carry more cables during gigs. The first wiring prototype was scrapped and I re- made it to a much simpler wiring.The guitar was already in playing shape, strings were attached and the intonation and action was set however there was one slight albeit aesthetic problem.The guitar bodies were of different colors, with the budget running really low and my excitement and anxiousness to play the instrument really high, I decided to do with a polyvinyl sticker wrap finish ( the kind of stickers used to wrap cars and stuff). Since having a printed pattern cost so much I decided on flat black and proceeded wrap the top first. I left the bottom (back part) of the body unwrapped so as to show that the body was made from two different instruments, if anybody asks (also I was lazy).

Now I know that it might not be as perfect or as pulido as you would like but I am sure as hell proud of it. You know how food just tastes better when its home cooked (I’m assuming you know how to cook, otherwise, don’t). The total money I spent was just a little over 5500 for a unique instrument and as really I had a lot of fun building it and I continue to have lots of fun playing and tinkering with it.

In future articles I’ll discuss some easy DIY guitar mods that you can practice on.‘TIL NEXT TIME

Buyer (and seller) BEWARE: The Anti-fencing law and The story of how I got involved in a similar predicament.Hey all and welcome again to the RIG’s Den, the monthly column from your peeps at the RIG store. For this month’s column I’d like to dedicate some space again to buying and selling instruments:Many a time when I would chance upon a thought provoking photo with a long ass narrative on Facebook. Heck! It’s this generation’s modern take on the chain mail and all that meme theory (go ahead and Google that). Some are real and informative others are downright ridiculous and bordering on the stupid. Sometimes a dead baby, sometimes a picture of an inspiring cancer survivor and sometimes, just a picture of a taxi and his plate number and a long retelling of the passenger’s woes with said taxi. Whatever, I didn’t have a proper opening for the article.This week’s story is sort of related to a taxi and buying and selling gear online.Now, you probably heard about internet scams in almost all of the buying and selling circles online. They are Horror stories :selling defective items, ghost shipment scams, violent hold ups and all that bad rap. But mine is not like that, no sir, no scams or nothing but still a lot of pain in the ass.The story started a few months ago, I being a keen buy and seller would score hordes of shops, websites and friends of friends just to acquire new stuff. I was tipped that there was a thrift store nearby my place that was selling some pedals for a real cheap amount of money (for the sake of everyone’s privacy, I will no longer name the pedals, the store and the people involved). The price was so ridiculous that I didn’t even bother to check it out. Come two weeks later I chanced upon the area and decided to take a look I was shocked, 8 pedals were being sold for a real bargain of a price. The said pedals value would’ve been more than double the amount I paid for. So I, being the bargain finder that I am, reserved the pedals with a downpayment and then bought the pedals after 2 days. I went home tested everything and everything looked good. During the next few days I proceeded to clean the items, take pictures and post the stuff for sale at my page.Then the bad shit happened, after about 2 weeks in, a prospective buyer called, made arrangements and then scheduled a meet up. To my surprise during the meet up there were these two guys who came forward and one of them claimed that the items being sold (by me) were alerted and reported missing at a local police station. (I’m trying to avoid using the word “stolen” as nobody has proven that yet). I told him “how can you prove ownership?” He then showed me some boxes with the serial numbers that matched the item that I was selling, he also showed me a couple of receipts that showed that he really purchased said items along with a missing items report he filed at his local police station. He even showed me Facebook pics of the item from gigs showing him using the said items. He claims that the items we’re left at a taxi after one of his gigs (again I’m avoiding using the word stolen to show no prejudice).

During the course of the discussion I kept calm, no police we’re involved and the dude who claimed the items never coerced me in anyway. After seeing all the proofs of purchase and hearing him out , I calmly told him “I don’t usually reveal the sources of items but since this is a touchy case, I will tell you that I bought them from a thrift store.” I calmly proceeded to show him that I have a receipt from the thrift store where I got my items and assured him that I was a buyer in good faith when I purchased the items. Since the store was near my place I offered to drive him there to talk to the owner, there was a long discussion between him and the store’s owner. The store owner even verified that it was indeed a taxi driver who sold them the items. I was there and I listened to them chat, the owner pretty much wanted to get legal advice first before taking any action to which I calmly replied, “I’m willing to return to all the pedals and file no case if either party (at this point I didn’t care who) would reimburse me the amount I paid for at the thrift store.

“We exchanged details and contact info. I left home with no pedals (I returned them DUH!) and no money got reimbursed, which left me a little frustrated. I went home and did some Googling around and tried to find out about my rights.This is where the anti fencing law comes in:

 

RESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 1612 or ANTI-FENCING LAW OF 1979 is a law that criminalizes the act of buying and/or selling of stolen items.Section 2 of this law defines “fencing” as the act of any person who, with intent gain for himself or for another, shall buy, receive, possess, keep, acquire, conceal, sell or dispose of, or shall buy and sell, or in any other manner deal in any article, item, object or anything of value which he knows, or should be known to him, to have been derived from the proceeds of the crime of robbery or theft.You can read PD1612 or Anti fencing law of 1979 here.From what I’ve read though (Disclaimer: I’m no lawyer.)1. It is the store’s obligation to check with the police any item from an unlicensed dealer before selling it (in this case before selling it, the pedals, to me as the buyer).I would however, by definition still be liable because I bought the items and intended to sell it albeit not knowing where they came from.2. It would be hard to define if the said pedals were “stolen” by the taxi or simply “left” there by fault of the owner’s negligence or the taxi driver’s negligence to return the said pedals hence. I’m not claiming that said items were stolen in this article.3. I would have no beef with the owner of the pedals since I returned the pedals already, the liability mostly goes to the thrift store for selling the said pedals to me (or I could be wrong here).4. It would be more costly for everybody if we sued the heck out of each other.During the evening I have received a text from the thrift store’s owner, we made arrangements and he assured me that he would fix this mess.The next day we met and I got back my money. So, that was fast and to think I thought I needed to pay for a lawyer whew! And that was that, it was the “happy ending” to that pain in the ass day for me. Pretty much all the fuss was for the good, the dude got his items back, I got my money back and the store did not suffer legal and criminal liabilities.

But to sum up here are some lessons and tips that I learned which can help you when faced with a similar circumstance. Be careful where you buy items, possession of alerted (stolen or otherwise) items can be grounds for fencing (which is a criminal liability- READ: jail).If you must, call the local police station to inquire about any alerted items. Some online communities are also on the lookout for reported stolen and missing items which may be going around the second hand market, so it’s not a bad idea to check with them too.Although no one really practices securing a permit when selling second hand items online, the law states that any second hand item to be sold must be cleared by the police first for x number of days before being offered for sale (PD1612-/IRR-lawyered!)Never believe any claim of ownership without any substantial proof (look for receipts and other evidences). Be careful of con artists and swindlers.If ever the authorities are involved it is best to seek legal advice first before doing any action. If you suspect any foul motives and corrupt practices from involved authorities decline to any negotiations without first consulting a lawyer. If the authorities are barging at your home, always look for a warrant, again , seek legal advice first. Beware of the “sumama na lang po kayo sa presinto” modus which often than not leads to bad shit.If the items are proven to be in the alert list (missing or stolen), cooperate with the authorities or at least follow the law.Be firm but don’t be rude when dealing with the parties that are involved. One of the reasons that this fiasco of mine went without any hassle is that, the involved parties never gave anyone a bad time, no verbal tirades, no slurs, no threats. People talked and people listened at the end of the day the items got returned, no one goes to jail and no law suits were filed. And that’s it for this month’s column. I hope people can learn from this story. Maybe next time I wouldn’t be compelled to write a serious and gritty ass article and maybe we poke fun at some other topic or see some awesome gear reviews and stuff. Til’ next time.

  • BAZOOKA ROCKS Festival, now on its 2nd year, is the Philippines’ first indoor rock festival that provides concertgoers the ultimate concert experience within a controlled, safe and perhaps most importantly an air-conditioned environment. Let’s face it, shelter from the rain and a potential muddy mosh pit and air-conditioning makes rocking out a helluva a lot more comfortable! It’s a totally unique experience in rock and roll and it’s chalk full of the most wanted pop punk and hard rock sensations in the world!

    ALL TIME LOW is an American pop-punk band that has emerged as a headliner in many of the world’s biggest and most high-profile music festivals worldwide such as Warped Tour and Soundwave. They are also know for hits such as “Somewhere in Neverland” and “Weightless.”

    ANBERLIN is a hard alternative rock band who had a sold-out show in Manila last March 11, 2011. They are currently touring in support of their latest album Vital, distributed locally by PULP Live Records.

    THE RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS is a versatile American rock band who can do hard pop-rock (“Face Down”) as well as tender sentimental songs (“Your Guardian Angel”).

    Melodic metalcore act WE CAME AS ROMANS is the heaviest act on the BRF 2013 bill, but they have captured the hearts of kids worldwide with hits such as “To Move on Is to Grow” and “Mis/Understanding.” They are returning to Manila after their widely-accepted performance at PULP Summer Slam 2012.

    A ROCKET TO THE MOON is a pop-rock band signed under the same record label as the likes of Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the Disco, Fun. and Paramore, among many others. Their widely popular among Filipino teens because of toucing sentimental songs such as “Ever Enough” and “Like We Used to.” They’ll be performing in Manila for the last time as the band recently announced that they will be disbanding after their tour.

    RADIODRIVEBY is a fast-rising pop-rock act based in Arizona. They’ve been known around the world for their YouTube performances and their strong presence in the web. Their latest dance-y single “One You Want” is currently generating more fans for the band.

    Australian pop-punk band TONIGHT ALIVE after their impressive turn in last year’s pre-BAZOOKA ROCKS launch. Led by the beautiful Jenna McDougall, they are so stoked to return to Manila to perform songs from their latest album What Are You so Scared of? such as “Starlight” and “Let It Land.”

    To add more flavor to BRF 2013, Japanese band UCHUSENTAI: NOIZ brings their brand of colorful and zany J-Rock to the biggest Manila stage they’ve ever performed in. The band first got major attention from all over Asia with their rendition of the Kamikazee hit “Narda.”

    Young promising rock bands FAINTLIGHT, MAD HATTER DAY, PENGUIN and SAVE ME HOLLYWOOD will also be in hand to show what the Philippines has to offer.

Hello PULP readers! First off let me introduce myself, I am PJ Martinez from The RIG, an online based store where I buy and sell instruments and music related accessories. When asked to do a short column on effects and gears (since I do have lots of them), I was first stumped of ideas. Then it came to me, a guy who makes a living out of selling instruments online should write about buying and selling online. You find yourself browsing the usual sites – Facebook, Sulit.com.ph, even PhilMusic.com, you see a nice piece of gear you’ve been eyeing for a long time, you saved enough money and want to go in. But what to do ‘before’ actually buying the item posted online? Here are some tips for first time buyers:

  1. Read, read, and read about the item you want to buy. Read reviews, watch YouTube videos, or even check out similar items at music stores and compare them with what the seller posts in his description. As a consumer, it’s your right to ask questions and clarify any potential issues with the seller. As a side note though, don’t be that guy who asks stupid questions (ie: “anong brand ng Crybaby mo?” or “meron ka bang gold na cymbals?” more on this on future articles here at The RIG’s Den). For the not so obvious questions, Google is you friend.
  2. Bargain but don’t lowball. Make a reasonable offer to the seller. If he agrees, then go. If not, there are other options. Look for similar items from other sellers or at other sites. You, of course, want to get the best out of your money so always canvass before making any decision. Bargaining is generally allowed but lowballing is frowned upon by most online communities.

  1. Examine the seller’s feedback. If you’re not sure about the seller, ask around any of the sites. Some sites provide user feedback, for good buyers and sellers. You can also google the cellphone number or the facebook profile of the potential seller and check to see if there are posts about him/her.
  2. For meetups, decide on a meeting place. For security reasons, it’s always nice to meet at public places like malls, restaurants and train stations. If you are not sure, it does not hurt to bring a friend along with you. Be wary though some establishments have a no solicitation policy so always check with the meeting place beforehand. Sometimes, there will be instances where you’ll have to pickup items from the seller’s house, that’s perfectly normal especially for the bigger stuff like drumsets or stack amp combos, it gives you the luxury of testing the item before you actually purchase it. Again, since you are meeting with strangers, it’s not a bad idea to bring someone along with you. For deliveries, ask for shipping options. If you do live far from the meetups specified, ask the seller about it. Some sellers are not comfortable with shipping because of the rampant shipping scam modus in some online selling circles. If the seller does consider, make sure you are through with #3. Then, choose a safe payment method, bank to bank transfer and bank deposit is still the easiest and the safest. Money transfer services (remittance padala, pera padala, Gcash, Western Union etc.) are not always good because scammers can use a fake ID when claiming your cash. Money sent through remittance channels is also harder to trace if anything goes wrong.

  1. Don’t be late. If you are running late make sure to advise the person you are meeting up with. It’s always a good idea to text ahead of time to confirm or cancel any meetups to avoid hassles.
  2. Upon meetup inspect the item, check all sides knobs, and what have you. If possible, use batteries or plug in at a coffee shop (with permission of course) to test electronic items. If you don’t like the item or if it is not at par with your expectations, now is your last chance to back out of the deal. If everything is good pay for the item and ask if the seller will give you a warranty. Test the item again at home for any hidden issues. Hopefully all goes well as you enjoy your new purchase.If there is a problem, contact the seller. A good seller will provide reasonable after-sales accommodation. If you suspect anything short of a scam, report to the online community and file a complaint at NBI’s Cybercrime division (contact using this hotline: 521-9208).Be sure to check in next time at The RIG’s Den.

Happy shopping!

  • Blue Moon: 2013 CNBLUE World Tour is the 2013 live concert tour of South Korean rock band CNBLUE in support of their fifth EP, Re:Blue, which was released on January 14, 2013. The world tour commenced, at the conclusion of promotional activities in Korea, with one show in Taiwan in April 2013 and will continue to Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, South Korea, Australia, Philippines and Malaysia.

  • AEROSMITH, recognized as the greatest American rock ‘n’ roll band of all time, is finally coming to the Philippines and will play their first Southeast Asia show in history in Manila at the Mall of Asia Arena this May 8. The historic performance, which represents the most important performance by one of the most iconic rock bands in the world today, will see the classic AEROSMITH line up composed of the inimitable Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer. The band has dozens of worldwide hits, multi-platinum albums that has sold well in excess of 150 million units and over four decades of fans.

  • SLASH, the iconic rock guitar player of Guns ‘N’ Roses fame, has, after leaving GNR in the mid-90s, carved out an impressive solo career that has seen him not only maintain his relevance in the rock world but also reinforce his image as one of the most identifiable icons of rock – not to mention that he is virtually recognized the world over as the mascot of what is perhaps seen as the most popular interactive video game in history: Guitar Hero.

    His first visit to the Philippines will be at a headlining show at the historical Araneta Coliseum with Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators on Saturday May 4. SLASH will play original songs as well as classic GNR anthems that have drawn massive acclaim throughout the world.

  • PULP SUMMER SLAM, the premiere metal festival in Southeast Asia, continues to grow and stretch the boundaries of heavy rock with its current line up for its 13th SLAM featuring death metal giants Cannibal Corpse alongside As I Lay Dying and Dragonforce as well as the ever progressive and innovative Coheed & Cambria and the highly influential Circa Survive. This powerful list will be joined by A Skylit Drive as Finnish power metal band Amoral along with Mr. Bones & the Boneyard Circus, Philia, Kamikazee, and Chicosci!

    PULP SUMMER SLAM 13 ‘TIL DEATH DO US PART will be held at the historic Amoranto Stadium in Quezon City on Saturday April 27, 2013 and gates will open at 12 noon. Tickets are a mere P400 and include various freebies such as beer, soda and pizza among others. Tickets are now available at SM Tickets.

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