Where the light bends at the cracks

Designer-animator by day, rogue music photographer by night.

[henrivillegas]

(Belated) Happy New Year

Every year, I seem to make a habit of telling myself it will be the year I finally update my blog, and do it regularly. And every year, I don’t. Back in December, I even drafted a blog post to close the year with, but it’s a little too late for that now that it’s February, amirite?

To a small extent, I did rebrand an old side project and turned it into a music blog. Unfortunately, something shook me to my fangirl core when I realized I can never really stick to any of my favorite artists, especially when I’ve got personal confirmation of their misconduct. I never expect any of my faves to be perfect, but there really are lines that decent people would never cross. I realized at that moment that I could never properly run a fandom blog, now more than ever, when principles are more important than supporting an artist that made good music - even the ones who made songs that has gotten a lot of people through rough times. Besides, I could barely keep up with new music nowadays. I’ve kept the same artists in heavy rotation for the past three years, despite what my spotify says.

So here we are. A new year, and another go at getting this blog running. There is so much I want to get out there on the internet, even if I’d be the only one reading long form posts like these. Last year I realized just how many shows I’ve been to in my lifetime, but barely even document. Online, at least. While I did slow it down in 2018, and most likely do the same this year, at least I have this space to remind me of all the fun times.

The succeeding posts are recollections of past shows, articulated as best as I can.

[henrivillegas]

LANY in Manila part deux: I think our hearts are starting to show

It’s been over a week now since LANY’s first ever series of mall shows. Why they even had to do five mall shows in their biggest market instead of one arena show, I don't even know. Yet here we are, still reeling, after seeing them for three days and five shows. If you stan them hard, how spoiled does this feel? Seeing your faves do five free shows is an absolute gift. And that goes both ways because let’s be real, we’ve got the best fans/concert crowd in the world.

As with any series of mall shows, to me the best ones to catch are always the first and last ones. They’re still fresh and hyped because it's the first of the series, just like the crowd that'll be greeting them like it's their first time in a city that adores them, while the last show is a must because who wouldn't want to finish a string of shows strong? Also, some artists tend to linger just a little bit longer after the show to thank everyone, which is sweet. But what fan would settle for two shows if you can go to all five?

I arrived at Glorietta a little after 6, less than an hour before their show, and was already mildly panicking because the last time I went to a mall show with no ticket, pass, or even a companion, I had absolutely nowhere to stand that had a decent view of the band. I mean, isn't that the point to going to a show? But as luck would have it, despite a pretty big crowd starting to build up, I got a good spot outside the ticketed sections, and even got to get a bit closer to the stage when the show was about to start.

They opened the show with Dumb Stuff (although it had me hopeful in the first few seconds of it that they were going to play Hericane, which technically doesn't make sense as a show opener), and of course everyone knew all the words. The moment they took the stage it felt like time slowed down and sped up at the same time as they played through their set list, only pausing briefly to take in the crowd and how we only had two states: screaming our feelings or singing our feelings. Both feels absolutely amazing. And the screaming gets louder each time Paul would get close to the crowd. Also, let's not forget the dancing. Specifically Paul dancing to Girls because these are moments worth keeping to replay in your head later. It was awkward and adorable and endearing.

At some point early in the show, Paul got his hands on the Philippine flag and he wore it and waved it around in the next few songs while the crowd (in my area at least) were trying to let him know he was holding it wrong (red side up). By the time they played their current single, Super Far, we knew the show was about to end.

You'd think after seeing a band twice in the same year it'll start to get old but nope, it really doesn't. When my friend and I arrived at Greenbelt just before noon for their second show, there was already a crowd gathered. There’s even a queue for people without passes. While it seemed like a good idea to just line up for the elevated platform, we decided to risk watching at the establishments next to the stage. The crowd up front had all their umbrellas up so there's a good chance that's all we’d see from there anyway. So after a quick lunch we started lurking at the side of the stage alternating between dodging and chatting with security.

By the time the band took the stage the crowd went nuts. Even people inside the restaurant rushed out. Apparently a lot of us had the same idea. While didn't exactly have the best view (the scaffolding was blocking our view of Les Priest), I still think we got a great spot with a lot of room to move around and dance. And we were given quite a treat as Paul started dabbing to Girls. They also tweaked their setlist a bit and added Made in Hollywood.

After the show we tried to get to the parking quickly so we can get to their Alabang show (a spontaneous decision we made earlier). But as we walked out we noticed a crowd starting to gather where we spotted the band passing through earlier so we decided to linger a bit to catch them on their way out. Security was a bit extra, pushing people back and setting up barriers. But by the time the band and their crew walked by, no one even pushed or shoved. Everyone screamed “Hi Jake/Paul/Priest!” in unison, and they all waved back at us. We waited about half an hour for this, and the whole thing lasted about ten seconds.

Once that was done, we headed straight to the parking to get to the next show as quickly as possible. There's an upside to assuming it’s always traffic in Alabang, so we figured out our route well and got there before the band. Town was already packed by the time we got there, and it was sheer luck to have gotten a parking spot so close to the entrance so quickly. There wasn't much of a choice for us when we got inside the mall. All the good spots were taken, and we’re not exactly very tall, so we settled for a place where we could at least get a decent view of Jake.

I didn’t know then that this would be my last LANY show for a while, but this was the one I got to enjoy the most. Barely even taking photos, just singing and dancing along the whole time. This was also the loudest one I’ve been to! I had no idea the south could be this loud! I’ve assumed that the crowd at Trinoma would be the one to beat based on experience, and this was such a treat. You can tell that the band was feeding off the energy of the crowd the way Paul did adlibs with their songs. It was beautiful. This is always my favorite part of live shows - that obvious exchange of energy between the fans and the artists, you could almost see their hearts burst with happiness. 

To be honest these series of shows makes my heart burst with joy to see how far they’ve come. I am so proud and so happy for them, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they conquer the world one day - if they haven’t already. They’re definitely a band best seen up close. I hope they don’t take too long to fly back to Manila because we need our current location to be their current location.

[henrivillegas]

Begin Again

2016 feels like forever ago, but not a week of that year went by without me begging the universe for a Purity Ring show. They were making the rounds for their recent album in Asia and I knew it was only a matter of time till they’d come to Manila. They didn’t.

But one night in December, the secret was out and dear lord almighty did it take every ounce of my being to not ugly cry in public while getting my hair did. I cried anyway. On the ride home, while trying not to hyperventilate and alarm my uber driver. I've been begging and losing hope simultaneously since August last year, and I couldn't believe it's finally happening. Ya best bet I was shaking in my sneaks till their set at Wanderland. And it was all I could talk about (aside from the Singapore trips I took) come the new year, it was almost embarrassing. Except I shamelessly love them. So there's that too.

The weather days before the festival was perfect. Not a drop of rain, and just the right amount of clouds. The sky just had to wait till early Saturday morning to pour like there’s no tomorrow. So it really was no surprise, as I got to the venue an hour after the gates were supposed to open, that the festival would run late. About four hours late. 

Lola Amour, this year’s Wanderband winner opened the show at the Globe stage, but delivered a great set fit for the Main Stage where they were originally supposed to play.

The usual order of business the moment we walked into the festival grounds were pretty standard. Get festival currency, meet with wander-buddies, pick a spot at the barricade, get food. But since my faves who I thought would never go here are in the lineup, I had to get merch. Maybe not all the merch, because food is also important. I had to pick one of their two shirt designs which I intend to wear everyday. To be honest, this year’s Wanderland merch looks so good, and their shirts aren’t expensive either! I wish their water bottles came with actual water and free refills, but that’s probably just me being greedy. There was more that enough drinks to sustain everyone this year, so that’s a huge relief!

The Filinvest City Event Grounds was huge. So huge there’s room for three stages, two of which can have bands play simultaneously without rudely interrupting each other. But probably too huge too, as there were a lot of bare areas, and also not enough portalets!

What made this year’s Wanderland special, besides my dream coming true, was seeing my local faves like Reese Lansangan play at the Globe stage. The same stage Purity Ring will be playing!

Another band I was looking forward to seeing live was LANY. But I was just one of the thousands of people who showed up to see them. So despite having a friend at the main stage save me a cozy spot at the barricade, I had to settle for the middle of the crowd to see them and then retreat to the Globe Stage again where I can ugly dance freely to their music.

The thing about having three stages playing almost simultaneously is that you’re bound to make some sacrifices. Like me missing Woodlock because there’s no way in hell I am missing Tom’s Story’s Wanderland set.  Also, I assumed I’d get to catch just one song from Woodlock after since their stage isn’t that far. But I was wrong. There were a lot of people who probably had the same idea, as the Globe stage was packed. Even when Yuna took the main stage.

It was clear by the time Honne set up at the Globe Stage that this is it. There’s no leaving my spot for food. Thankfully I’ve smuggled tiny af cookies in my wallet, but that wasn’t enough. It was the first time for me to really listen to Honne and I liked it so much I asked my fangirling friend what is wrong with me for not liking them sooner. But regret doesn’t last long because I am shaking in my black muddy sneaks because Purity Ring was playing next!

Actually it was Explosions in the Sky playing next at the main stage and I wanted to watch them so bad but not bad enough for me to give up barricade. I’ve been looking forward to this moment for years that I couldn’t help but ask my friends backstage if they already met Corin and Megan. Not that I expect to meet them.

I was already screeching embarrassingly while they were setting up so you can expect this to escalate fairly quickly by the time they started their set. RIP Dignity, RIP me.

I was full on expecting to ugly cry during their set, but nope, I was just ugly. But my entire being was so happy I thought my heart would stop everytime Corin hit those diamond drums. Megan was a vision on stage. Her moves and Corin’s diamond drums lighting up was beautiful. Their setup was very minimal compared to the stage setup they had at Laneway last year but it didn’t matter. 

It’s been months since that night but I still feel my heart swell with joy everytime I think about it. That’s probably why this post took forever for me to complete. Hearing them play my favorites was surreal. It’s definitely one of the happiest moments of my life that I felt like my soul ascended to heaven so many times during their set that I was simultaneously emotionally high and dead once it was over. So much so that when we saw Megan packing up their stage set up, I managed to speak in complete sentences and asked if I could hug her. Fam, she is so flawless, ang ganda niya tapos wala siyang pores. We even took a group photo together. Friends I am crying tears of joy internally as I type this.

The rest of the night was a bit of a nostalgia trip that was spent mostly sitting down. I am so glad I got to see The Ting Tings after all these years and it gave me such joy to hear them play their older songs. Sadly, there was no encore. Then, after what felt like forever, The Temper Trap took the stage. At this point we were already exhausted but quite rested, so we moved closer to the stage to bop to some of their songs. Like Fader. I love Fader. They closed their set with Sweet Disposition at about 3am, and we were disappointed there weren’t any fireworks or confetti to end the fest like they did before. Still, I was happy I got to see them again.

Got home at about 4am dead tired but still buzzing on the inside. Of all the Wanderland fests I’ve been to, this was the year I got home the happiest. Thank you Karpos for making my dream a reality.

[henrivillegas]

Conquering Rainway

Ever since my first concert experience, I’ve dreamed of going to as many shows and festivals as I could. For years I’ve settled for livestreams and webcasts, vowing that one day I would fly to a music festival abroad where all my faves are playing. I didn’t expect 2017 to be the year it begins.

We arrived at Singapore two days before the festival to make time for sightseeing. This was my first time overseas and I wanted to see everything! We decided the night before to get to the venue as early as possible to get one of the free ponchos they were giving away at the festival. The weather forecast for that day has not changed all week, so we were expecting rain to happen at some point during the festival.

The weather was great that morning though: sunny like we’re baking in an oven. It was the perfect weather for us to take a few photos of the area and take some selfies. It was also too hot that I had to get myself a cap to shield my poor scalp from burning. It’s okay, their caps were cute. All the merch at the booth was cute, tbh. We arrived just in time for Stars and Rabbit opening the festival. While I did enjoy the songs they had on spotify, it certainly paled in comparison to hearing and seeing them play it live.

Tash Sultana played next, and she was AMAZING. It was no surprise that a crowd gathered even before she took the stage. Sadly we didn’t go too close to the stage because we were busy unintentionally getting our tan on. To be honest, I’ve never been early and relaxed enough at a festival to check out the booths and get free stuff. Laneway was the first time I got to really experience casually walking around the festival grounds and stage hop. We got free perfumes, and gif print!

After we got settled with our backup stash of water (gotta stay hydrated, kids!), we went our own ways to check out the artists playing early, like Wednesday Campanella, who had the craziest set I have ever gotten to experience. It was so much fun it deserves its own blog post, but I’ll try to condense it. She started her set on a ladder in the middle of the festival grounds, then carried to the stage on a plank/raft/thing where she had chewbacca-like dancers, an inflatable lucky cat, plus trippy visuals, before getting into a zorb ball to roll above the crowd for her last few songs. She also threw kitkats at the crowd and even taught us some dance moves.  I have never been more entertained.

The rain we anticipated just went to town during Aurora’s set. It poured like there’s no tomorrow. But for some weird reason, the rain and Aurora performing on stage felt just right. She was adorable and ethereal and AMAZING. I should probably use that word less but I’m not sure what better way to describe hearing her music live. People swayed and danced in the rain as she sang Wolves and Conqueror. It was beautiful.

Most of the artists I was looking forward to seeing were playing at their main stages: Garden Stage, and Bay Stage. Other acts I wanted to see, like NAO, were playing at the Cloud Stage, which is about a two minute sprint from the main stage. Sprinting isn’t necessary though, unless you want to see ALL the artists, something I tried to do since Gang of Youths and NAO’s set times are only ten minutes apart. 

I’ve only recently listened to Gang of Youths, and I immediately had them on my must-see live list. Seeing them play live was everything. And I wasn’t sure if it was my hormones wreaking havoc or just hearing that speech pre-song that I could relate to, but I very nearly cry-danced. Their set alone was worth the trip, but I had to miss their last two songs to catch NAO’s last two songs. The sprint and maneuvering I had to do in the crowd to get as close as I could to the stage was worth it. In those two songs I got to see her perform live, it didn’t surprise me that my friend would camp at the barricade for it.

My friends and I reunited at the food truck closest to the Cloud Stage to regroup, recharge, and know who’ll be where when. At some point during the festival, I’ve come to terms with the fact that I’ll probably not get to see artists I’m only curious to see if I want to make it real close to the barricade for Glass Animals AND Nick Murphy. So with our bellies satisfied, and our water supply good, we picked our spot between the Garden and Bay stages and waited for our faves.

Seeing Tycho again felt a lot like reuniting with an old friend you haven’t seen in years. Nakakabusog ng pagkatao hearing them play my favorite songs live. It felt like my heart filled up to the brim with so much joy. So did the way the crowd sang along to Awake.

All that Glass Animals hype I’ve been getting from my friend (hi Alex!) was definitely worth it. I’ve been a casual listener for a while but man was their set on fire. Their energy on stage was just as infectious as their music, and it didn’t take long for people to start grooving to it.

Sadly, I had to weave my way closer to the Bay Stage by the time they were down to the last three songs because Nick Murphy. But trust that I like Glass Animals a million times more and aaaahhh how long do we have to wait for that Manila show? I really really really want to see them again.

Finally. It. Is. Tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimmmmeeeeeeeee! Since hearing Nick Murphy’s cover of No Diggity, I never thought I would ever have the chance to see him live. I even got to sing along to 1993 though we were singing different versions of it.

He also played a bunch of songs I’ve never heard before and they were lovely. By the time he played Stop You, my heart was doing somersaults. And when the beat intensified, as if on cue, I started jumping! Only two of us in our area did that. We had a brief moment looking at each while jumping. It was fun. And also awkward. Because seriously? Why didn’t anybody else even have the same idea? Were they tired? That beat was awesome! Why?

I found myself near tears a couple of times during his set. I swear these hormones and those onion slicing ninjas are inescapable. It was beautiful. Hearing my favorite Nick Murphy/Chet Faker songs live was priceless. I’m so glad I flew all the way to Singapore, endured the rain and my ridiculously sore feet (istg I thought for a moment I fractured my bones bc pain I’ve never felt before) for this.

Exhausted from days of exploring the city and enjoying one of the region’s most popular music festivals, we retired to our airbnb with sore bodies and happy hearts. I was sad to leave Singapore so soon. But we had a flight to catch and had to be at the airport early. I saw my first sunrise of the year on our bus ride to Changi Airport. This was definitely one of my most memorable weekends of my life.

[henrivillegas]

Sunny Singapore

Traveling to a foreign city with friends for fun was something I've always imagined I'd get to do, but one that also always seemed so far fetched. So when arrangements were made, and tickets on hand, my first overseas trip to Singapore was all I could talk about for weeks!

So here I am, with two friends I’ve met through music, walking on the cloudy streets of Singapore. My friend and I arrived at our airbnb at around 6pm, and the commute was surprisingly convenient. They have a bus at the airport that dropped us off just a few steps away from the apartment we’ll be staying at.

As soon as we got settled, we made our way to Suntec City for dinner and some supplies (breakfast noms). We did get yelled at by the bus driver on the way though. Apparently we got the fare wrong (turns out our app got the fare wrong!) and he couldn’t kick us out because we were way off the nearest stop. Pretty scarring considering it was my second bus ride on my first trip overseas, so we made sure we got our ez link cards (their version of our local beep cards) before we head back to our airbnb.

Food Paradise reminds me a lot of SM’s high end food courts, but better. The food ranges from around 3-5sgd (about 100-180php) and their servings are generous. While in line for some soup, I asked help from the lady in line ahead of me who explained the menu and paid for my dinner when she found out that I’m a tourist (!!!!).

What I enjoyed the most in this trip is the amount of walking we did in a span of four days! I lead a pretty sedentary life, save for the mandatory afternoon workouts I’ve done months leading to the trip. I don’t think I have ever walked so much in my life because my feet were killing me for days! Singapore was the perfect destination for a first time traveler like me. Their transport system is very organized, and armed with mobile data and our trusty citymapper app, getting to our destination was easy.

We went for the usual tourist spots like Esplanade and Merlion Park on our first full day of exploring. We were at Esplanade the night before to check out the view at night. Being there during Singapore Art Week was awesome because of all the art and exhibits they have on display. The amount of art we consumed in this trip feels like binge watching a season of a really good show. Good, slightly overwhelming, but not enough.

We also went to Bugis to shop for souvenirs. They have a market just across the malls that gives some major Divisoria vibes. Souvenirs here are way cheaper than the touristy places, so if you plan to take some mementos home this would be the place. We also had the famous dollar ice cream!

I’ll probably never stop raving about it because I love ice cream, and this, for a little over 30 pesos, is suuuuuper worth it! After Bugis, we headed to one of the must-see bookstores in the world: Books Actually.

As a recovering book hoarder, this is both awesome and also possibly a bad idea (because how does one even say no to buying a new book?). Getting to the bookstore is a bit of a walk from the nearest bus stop and train station, but trust that it is worth it. The place was stacked with shelves filled with books from floor to ceiling. They even have a resident cat that took every piece of me to resist carrying it out to take home with me. He was too cute. I did manage to pet him. He was soft and fluffy and I still wish I could take him home. But I got a book by Agnes Chen instead. I’m taking my sweet time reading it because it is such a good read. They even gave me a discount coupon so I guess that's one more reason (as if I'd need some extra encouraging) to come back. We also stopped by Cat Socrates, because cats. Sadly, their resident cats were asleep so I got cat postcards and this super cute cat tote bag I’ve been eyeing online before our trip.

On our way to Books Actually, we spotted this really beautiful building, that we decided to take a little detour to visit right away. Turns out it was the Singapore National Library, and they have an exhibit in one of their floors for Singapore Art Week.

Tan Swie Hian’s Celestial Web drew me in as soon as we walked into the room. I couldn’t stop taking pictures! Another piece that drew me in was Straw Dogs, a sculpture created in memory of the victims of the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia. It was a piece I found so beautiful and meaningful that I was more busy taking it all in than snapping a photo to post on the internet.

After walking around the city for hours, we had to part ways with our designated navigator who had to meet some friends while we head to H&M at Orchard Road to pick up our Laneway tickets with our ticket buddy. Armed with only a map (that I can’t understand at all), it was no surprise that we ended up at the wrong stop after walking for what feels like an eternity. The signs can be confusing for non-locals like us, so I cannot stress enough how important it is to have data and an app to help you get around.

We managed to get to the right H&M in one exhausted piece, and claim our tickets 45 minutes later, and headed to the nearest food court to eat dinner. Twice. As soon as my feet could manage to carry me. Sadly, because of our little misadventure, our feet have given up on exploring more of the city and we retreated to our airbnb early. Singapore is such a beautiful city and even more so during their art week.

The next day would be spent entirely on Laneway, so there’s definitely no chance at all to go sight seeing. Chance of rain was also really high so we’re headed there early to have one of those free ponchos they were giving away.

My friend and I were quiet almost the entire trip to the airport for our flight back. A huge part of me was sad that our trip was short. Too short. Singapore had me smitten, and I couldn’t wait to be back.

[henrivillegas]

Back from hiatus

It’s been ages since my last blog post, and to be honest, I’ve completely forgotten about this space and all those plans of reviving it. A lot has changed, and with it, some really great memories I’d like documented here.

We’re right in the middle of the year and it’s pretty insane that it’s been, by far, one of the most eventful 6 months I’ve had. Filled with firsts I never even thought would really happen, I’d never believe anyone if they told me all the things that I’d get to experience in this lifetime.

I’ve queued up a series of late posts, that hopefully, will spark something in me to blog a bit more often. Maybe it’ll be different this time?

[henrivillegas]

The Jack Daniel’s Future Legends Indiefest 2016: Bigger, Better, Bolder.

Solidarity is at the heart of Jack Daniel’s Future Legends Indiefest, and is one of the main reasons why this highly anticipated event is shaping up to be one of summer’s biggest music attractions this 2016. By producing a unique outdoor music event that will keep you hyped up for months to come, Jack Daniel’s continues to strengthen its independent spirit campaign through a music festival that champions local indie music talents of top-notch caliber.

With these three different stages: Old No.7 (Main Stage), On The Rocks (Modern Rock Stage), and Barrel House (Indie/Alt Stage), you can expect powerful performances by these awesome acts hand-picked for the Jack Daniel’s Future Legends: Alasmedya, Attic Wench, BP Valenzuela, Bratpack, Conscious and the Goodness, Five Story Fire, Fools and Foes, Jensen and the Flips, Mind Money Circuit, Oh! Flamingo, Read Between The Lions, Reese Lansangan, Run Dorothy, Tandems ’91, The Squibs, The Sun Manager, Thea, Tide/Edit, Tom’s Story, and UBE; with the previous music program artists of Jack Daniel’s On Stage: Curbside, Earthmover, FOC Fashion, Mad Hatter Day, Peso Movement, Reklamo, Runway Crimes, Tonight We Sleep, We Are Imaginary, Wilderness, and Jack Daniel’s JDSet Chosen One; Mr. Bones And The Boneyard Circus. As an added treat, Jack Daniel’s On Stage Chosen One Farewell Fair Weather and co-top 3 Flying Ipis and Autotelic round up the festival’s stellar lineup.

Headlining the roster are two of the country’s established indie icons: genre-bending supergroup Up Dharma Down and Brain Salad—an all-star ensemble composed of members from Wolfgang and Razorback, performing live for the first time ever!

On the heels of Jack Daniel’s Future Legends—a music discovery platform that aims to showcase the next batch of future greats honed by discipline, hard work, authenticity, creativity and independence, the Jack Daniel’s Future Legends Indiefest is also adamant in instilling camaraderie and solidarity among artists to ensure a tighter DIY music community willing to push for the recognition of the indie music scene as an integral part of the Philippine Music Industry.

As such, participating production groups, partner music websites, and upcoming local brands will be joining the cause with their own side activities and booths.

A JD Indie Rack Lane will be one of the go-to places in sourcing for your favorite bands’ merchandise and products, albums, shirts, ballers and more.

To make things more interesting, a JD Indie Hub will also stationed in the area to let you check out the Jack Daniel’s app and charge your mobile phones for an ample of time.

Festival goers who prefer the convenience of a smooth, safe ride can benefit from Uber’s promo just for all those on their way to the festival. The top transportation mobile app is giving away P150 discount for first time users by using the code: JDFLINDIEFEST.

Zalora, one of our event partners, is also offering P300 discount for every purchase worth P1,500, Plus!, festival goers can use their remaining tokens from the event and convert it into GC’s to purchase anything on the Zalora Website at www.zalora.com.ph/indiefest. Just use the code INDIEZAL!

The Jack Daniel’s Future Legends Indiefest is powered by JB Music Philippines, and would not be without the support and collaboration of its partner production groups Docdef Productions, OBF Productions, A Spur of the Moment Project, Cubism Family Productions, Flat Five Records, Yellow Room Productions, Revolver Productions, Locked Down Entertainment, and Red Ninja Productions.

Special thanks to our event partners, Zalora, Uber, technology partner, Pouch and our media partners: Rogue Magazine, Amplify.ph, NDFY.me, VandalsontheWall.com, RadioRepublic.ph, and PinoyTuner.com.

Come over and get involved with this one of a kind music event that celebrates the diversity and potential of local independents. To find out how you can score an exclusive invite to the The Jack Daniel’s Future Legends Indie Fest, visit the official Jack Daniel’s Philippines Facebook Fan Page.

Celebrate indie music with Jack. Are you in? Play with heart. Drink with care. For 18+ y.o. only.

See you on May 28th at Circuit Makati! Fun starts at 4pm.

[henrivillegas]

Minimalist Life

The minimalist lifestyle is something that has captured my curiosity for a while now. Maybe it’s my weekly binge of Tiny House Nation and Tiny House World episodes, or the idea of jumping from one country to the next living in a suitcase. Either way, there’s something I could ultimately attractive with living with less stuff and filling my life with as many fond memories and experiences possible.

Pursuing the minimalist life is a process, and a series of conscious choices.

Honestly, I wasn’t even aware that I was in some ways a minimalist. Although I’m generally not fond of having too much stuff for money (the freelance life isn’t exactly very stable) and space reasons (my family and I already live in a tiny af house), a girl can always hoard without even knowing it. And hoard, I did. With every hobby I’ve pursued. Because hobbies can be an income stream too, right? Thus a large collection of books, costume jewelry, beads, craft supplies, and recently, pens and brushes.

They were all fruits of my childhood dream of owning a mini library, becoming a fashion photographer, and my general love for arts and crafts. I am still selling beads and wires from my jewelry making days when I bought KILOS (!!!!!!!) of beads, chains, jump rings, and closures. I have a tendency to hoard. The good news is, that I manage to keep the other parts of my life quite minimal. Like owning no more than 5 pairs of shoes, and a handful of bags, each with a specific purpose. But I did have a tiny closet filled with stuff, mostly clothes, I either hate or would rather not wear unless I am left with no choice. With that, I welcome de-cluttering with arms open wide.

Three things I kept in mind as I purge:

Only hold on to things that bring joy to my life.

The general rule in de-cluttering is that if you haven’t used it in the last 6 months, toss (or donate) it. If you’re not using it, chances are, you don’t really need it. There are exceptions, of course.

Purge ruthlessly. Saving it for later just eliminates the whole purpose of de-cluttering because you’re practically moving them around your space instead of moving them out.

It helps a lot when you are in the right frame of mind to declutter. If you’re familiar with the Top Model series, you’ll recall those makeover episodes where someone always cries because they’re not ready for change. Purging your stuff is a bit like that, because you are, technically, shedding parts of yourself. In the form of things you’ve managed to accumulate over time. So if you’re not in that “ready for change” zone, decluttering will take so much longer than it should, with you either going down memory lane with every item, or re-organizing instead because you can’t part with your things.

Here are some links for your de-cluttering inspo/needs:

7-Day KonMari inspired challenge via popsugar

Decluttering guide via Me And Orla

7 Tips to Organize using the KonMari method via D. Northrup

Intro to Intentional Living via Simply Fiercely

Since de-cluttering, I’ve actually taken less time to get ready. I used to say “I have nothing to wear” despite having a closet full of clothes, and now it takes me less than five minutes to come up with options and pick out what to wear. I’m slowly assembling a capsule wardrobe of sorts, which will probably take forever, but I do have enough to get by for now. I’ve also had more room for some of the things I normally just toss around the room. I’ve also made a bit of money from selling some of my books. I couldn’t bring myself to part with all of my books, but I did strip my collection down to the essentials, and all time faves. No, my Tolkien books will never be for sale until I die.

Going for a minimalist lifestyle, just like changing diets, or habits, will take some time to get the hang of.

Again, it is a series of conscious choices. I’ve been very very very mindful of my shopping habits, especially in bookstores, where I constantly fight the urge to buy a new pen, or brush, or another cute notebook, or a book with a pretty cover! It’s not always easy, but at least I have a bit more money for another concert ticket. ;)

[henrivillegas]

29 Days of Song

Back in February, I decided to create an instagram series to exercise my lettering skills. For each day of the month, I had to dedicate a few minutes to make something based on any song I like, without repeating artists.

It sounded easy enough, made a list up on trello to get things going. But at that first step alone, it dawned on me that I barely name 29 artists in one sitting, despite the insane amount of artists I adore and adored so far. I probably had to make it up as I go. 

A photo posted by Henri Villegas (@henrivillegas) on Feb 1, 2016 at 12:32am PST

The first piece was deliberate. Laneway Singapore has just wrapped up, and I was sad to miss Purity Ring. I’ve been a fan of their music for years, and this just feels like the closest they will ever be to Manila. I’m literally still hoping and praying they do a show here sometime in August.

A photo posted by Henri Villegas (@henrivillegas) on Feb 2, 2016 at 1:17am PST

This piece was spontaneous. I was digging through old posts for an interview when I saw photos I took of their show in Manila years ago. Kaleidoscope is one of my favorite The Script songs, and one I really really hoped they would open their shows with. They didn’t. But I’m still glad I got to hear it live. The idea was to create something that looked like a kaleidoscope, but I didn’t think it through enough so it looked nothing like it.

A photo posted by Henri Villegas (@henrivillegas) on Feb 2, 2016 at 11:19pm PST

I originally planned to cheat and make this early and make it my 14th post because Valentine’s day, but I was having a pretty crazy day, so it came out earlier than planned. I was working on a number of design studies off those two words for a shirt, but I couldn’t make it more rectangle than square. So I scrapped that idea, went for another line in the same song, and painted it for this series instead. Almost like this piece:

A photo posted by Henri Villegas (@henrivillegas) on Feb 3, 2016 at 11:33pm PST

I was working on a series of Twenty One Pilots designs at that time, and I figured why not add it to this series? After all, the design I did for the shirt I made was originally hand drawn.

A photo posted by Henri Villegas (@henrivillegas) on Feb 4, 2016 at 11:10pm PST

At the beginning of this project, one of the artists I’ve listed was Autotelic. There were so many lines in their songs that I wanted to use for this series. But at that time, I was working on drawing faces, something I really struggle with, I decided, hey why not use Misteryoso? Took so many tries on pencil before finally drawing it with a brush pen. This was probably the best attempt at it, because I tried replicating it and failing. huhu

A photo posted by Henri Villegas (@henrivillegas) on Feb 7, 2016 at 9:36pm PST

Feeling inspired by my time at a bookstore, and a job interview that went well, I decided to work on this lyric in advance. I felt pretty proud of myself for completing something ahead of time until I noticed the next day that I not only got the lyric wrong, I also spelled a word wrong! I redid it quickly and took this photo before it even dried.

I was already starting to lose steam around this time, and was desperate to catch up that the moment I found a few minutes of downtime, I made as much as I could. Muse, Bleachers, and Smashing Pumpkins are just three of the many many artists whose shows I pray to see one day.

A photo posted by Henri Villegas (@henrivillegas) on Feb 13, 2016 at 9:47pm PST

With my Valentine’s Day post already up prematurely, I decided to create something else fit for the day. Thus this. I love Priory, their music, and the message they carry with this song. It’s artists like these, who are vocal and supportive of promoting equality, that have a place in my heart.

Still behind with my series at this point, I thought these two lyrics were perfect for me to practice my brush strokes. Around this time I was keeping The Wombats on repeat at work (and istg their music just doesn’t get old, I love them so), and my fave local band Flying Ipis were fundraising for their SXSW trip. I’m still so excited, happy, and proud of them roaches, and I really wish for them to conquer the world. It’s all I’ve ever wanted for them the moment I heard their song on the radio for the first time. And that was forever ago.

A photo posted by Henri Villegas (@henrivillegas) on Feb 18, 2016 at 11:12pm PST

In an effort to balance things out, since rushing to catch up had me making less illustrative pieces for the series, I thought Reese Lansangan’s Grammar Nazi would be the perfect song to get drawing again. I am really insecure with my drawing skills, and I’m not very happy with how this ended up, but maybe it’s not that bad? I mean Reese liked the colors so at least there’s something in it I did right? lol

Around this time, still days behind, I decided to take my art to the streets! I worked on these three pieces the night before Good Vybes Fest, hoping I’d bump into these artists on the festival grounds and then maybe figure out what to do about it then. I haven’t really thought that part out well. I just wanted to photograph and post the images I’ve taken of it on festival day in hopes that the artists would maybe notice it. I was surprised at how dry and dusty the festival grounds were, but at least I found a patch of dried out weeds to photograph my Passion Pit piece. Signal was bad at the festival so I couldn’t post them till after.

A photo posted by Henri Villegas (@henrivillegas) on Feb 23, 2016 at 12:57am PST

The previous week has been rough, and I couldn’t think of a better artist to capture that feeling better than The Sun Manager, and this line from In Darkness. I probably wouldn’t have appreciated all the crazy awesome insane things I’ve been so lucky and blessed to have experienced if it wasn’t for losing a person in my life. It’s kind of a funny story, but this line rings true. It’s in darkness the light shines bright.

A photo posted by Henri Villegas (@henrivillegas) on Feb 23, 2016 at 5:58pm PST

Experimenting with writing words and phrases quickly with a brush pen, I decided to make one more with the same style as the previous image with a Hozier song. One of my faves once mentioned something about how unintentionally pretty watercolor swatches look. And it’s true! So I got one of my pre-cut card stock used it as a “scratch paper” and then painted more colors on it to be used as background for Hozier’s lyric. Man, I wish he’d come to Manila too.

Going back to my trusty waterbrushes, I made these. I love waterbrushes. I get to paint anytime, anywhere, and not need to carry a jar of water with me. Sure it has it’s drawbacks, but I still love them. They’ll always be my weapon of choice.

A photo posted by Henri Villegas (@henrivillegas) on Feb 26, 2016 at 10:12pm PST

Tried drawing again, and got a little ambitious because I did this on my last piece of paper without a pencil sketch or an image reference. I feel quite proud of it tho because it looks pretty good! Covered a few mistakes by painting the empty spaces blue. Still glad that ballerina looks cute tho!

A photo posted by Henri Villegas (@henrivillegas) on Feb 26, 2016 at 6:30pm PST

Still hungover from Good Vybes with Oh Wonder’s music comfortably stuck in my head, I knew I had to do something about it. I researched a bit on how to make watercolor flowers, and it took a lot of tries before I made this piece. It’s far from perfect, and my trusty water brushes made it much more challenging, but I still like it. It was my last piece of thick card stock and it was such a relief that I got this done at the first try.

"One temporary escape" - The Naked and Famous 22 of 29 #brushpen #thedailytype #handtype #typespire #type #handmade #handwritten #vsco #vscocam #design #februarychallenge #lettering #brush #brushlettering #dailytype #music #lyrics #watercolor #watercolorlettering

A photo posted by Henri Villegas (@henrivillegas) on Feb 26, 2016 at 12:29am PST

Maybe this is cheating, but I did this one weeks ahead, and I was hoping I could photograph it during GVF, against the stage, but I was reusing sheets and the art behind it was peeking through so I had to scrap that idea. Music, gigs, and concerts are my temporary escape. And what a time to be alive to see so much incredible artists in such a short span of time? This year’s highlights reel would most definitely have GVF and Wanderland in it because those couldn’t have happened at a better time, and are easily two of the best nights of my life.

At this point we were already down to the last few days of the month, and I was still five pieces behind! Manning my booth at The 1975 Ph’s album release fanmeet was the perfect time to catch up. With every downtime we had, I was planning, thumbnailing, and eventually executing those ideas, only pausing to quiet my head and pick a lyric. I couldn’t think of better words/songs/lyrics to end these series better than these two.

Metric’s Breathing Underwater and The Postal Service’s Brand New Colony are just two of probably a handful of songs that have so much meaning to me. Which is an understatement. I also wanted it to end in a happy note. That now that I am ready and able to process the insane month that was February, I am happy, I am grateful, and I am ready for change.

[henrivillegas]

#tbt BP Valenzuela The Neon Hour album launch last year. #bpvalenzuela #theneonhour #music #photography #musicphotography #musicph

[henrivillegas]

It’s been forever since I’ve heard anything off Ed Tullet, and the last time I did I wasted no second ordering an ep (which I eventually had to let go). It’s so great having to hear his music after all these years. This collaboration with Novo Amor is absolutely beautiful, I cannot wait to hear more.

[henrivillegas]

#Goals

A few months before the year began, I realized I put too much comfort in “comfort zone”, and that I’d be stuck there much longer than I would’ve liked if I don’t do anything about it. With the first quarter of the year done, you might think it’s too late for your “fresh start”. But it’s never too late to make a change, to learn new things, and to upgrade yourself. Here are a couple of helpful things/sites that got me started.

BraverGoals.com

We are a constant work in progress, and this is the one space on the interwebs that got me my momentum. Getting started and getting that momentum going was the hardest part, and Arriane’s series of free courses you can take in a couple of weeks are helpful in getting that ball rolling. From funding your personal project, to setting goals, to building your own business, her courses and newsletters are always something worth looking forward to. If you’re looking to make great changes in your life, this is a great place to start.

Astigirl

This is the book that needs re-reading for whenever you feel like you fail at being an adult. Because sometimes it takes more than reminding yourself that nobody ever truly does have this adult thing figured out. Sometimes, it’s books like these that will do that for you, and let you know you’re not alone, and that things will get sorted out once you get yourself moving again.

The Art of Non Conformity

Chris Guillebau’s blog and series of books are both aspirational and inspirational. The reason I got a copy of his book was the cover (and title of course), because nothing screams “buy me” to me more than a good looking book cover. One of my favorite books, The Art of Non Conformity is worth it for people who are interested and willing to take on the road less traveled.

Creative Market Blog

This is one of my favorite places on the internet. Their blog is such a helpful resource for anyone in design. Signing up for an account and subscribing to their mailing list was such a great decision because you also get free downloads weekly! 

[henrivillegas]

I didn't take too many photos last night because Bon Iver and Death Cab for Cutie were too incredible for words. I don't think I have ever been so speechless over anything before. My entire being is filled with so much joy (and pain because it's over). #wanderlandmusicfest #boniver #music #justinvernon #deathcabforcutie (at Globe Circuit Event Grounds, Makati City)

[henrivillegas]

Music Festival Survival Guide (PH)

Basically these are the things I’ve learned after going to at least one music festival a year. Also, I cannot shake the memory of having to endure two noobs festival virgins with us at the pit whining about how hungry, thirsty, and exhausted they are in between sets. It pays to be prepared, and it’s good to learn from the suffering of once noobs. So here are a few things me and my friends have learned in surviving music festivals.

1. Exercise

Before you roll your eyes at me, trust this fragile tita. You will thank me later. Youth and adrenaline can only get you so far. Remember that you will be standing and walking around for more than 5 hours. At some point your back, legs, feet, joints, practically everything but your face will start to hurt. And let’s not forget feeling sore the morning after. Get a workout routine set at least a week before. But it’s never too late or too early to start. Also, you’ll be surprised how much strength you’ll have later.

2. Assemble your squad.

I know this can get pretty tricky if all your friends decide to bail and you’ve already got tickets. But do this: look for a facebook group for festival goers, or one of the artist you’re coming to see. There’s no better way to enjoy seeing that band you like than sharing it with people who love them as much as you do. This step is pretty essential too if you want a spot at the barricade.

3. Be smart with your ootd

The last thing you want for yourself is to be too uncomfortable to enjoy that band/artist you’ve waited so long to see. This might be something you’ve heard so many times, but trust me: comfort > style always. If you can get an idea on what the venue is like, the better. Circuit is grassy, Aseana is dusty af, MoA grounds is concrete. Make sure that you are comfortable, and will still be comfortable after dancing your feet off ten hours later. Also, while it’s great to not carry a bag at all, I honestly don’t recommend it if you plan to camp out at the mosh pit to see your faves up close. Don’t wear anything that you will cry about when it gets damaged or worse. And pick a bag you can keep close to you at all times because sometimes pickpockets are willing to invest on expensive tickets to steal expensive things.

4. Show up early.

Probably a given, but you need to give yourself at least an hour to get your business in order. Eat, do your business at the portalet, take your squad pic or ootd before you start sweating your face off, and check out the rest of the festival grounds. Showing up early also means getting to pick your spot at the mosh pit.

5. Prep for doomsday

Okay, getting yourself stuck at your spot in the mosh pit isn’t exactly the end of the world, but that’s exactly how you’ll feel hours later: parched, hungry, and nowhere to go. Have a game plan. Get one half of your squad reserve your slot, and get the other half to gather supplies which is essentially just water and finger food. Ideally have one water bottle for every band that will take the stage while your’re at the pit, per person. For example, if you’ll stay in the mosh pit for 5 bands, have 5 bottles of water for each of you. If you can’t carry that much and you’re not exactly at the barricade, you’ll definitely have to adjust and ration accordingly. If you lucky little early bird got a spot at the barricade (or get second row), you can stash your supplies on the other side of the barricade. They have little steps where you can place your things at. Be nice to security, and those on the first row (if you’re second or third row).

[edit]

I forgot to include this earlier, but keep some emergency meds in your bag too! Personally recommend antacids, painkillers, and anti-motility pills (because taking a dump at portalets will never be fun).

6. You don’t have to document everything

That’s what the people with those press/media passes are for. So you don’t have to keep your phones/cameras up snapping away the whole time. Music festivals are best experienced when you’re enjoying the moment away from them screens. And can you imagine how inconvenient it would be to have your view of the band obstructed by someone else’s ipad or mobile phone? Ugh.

7. BE NICE TO PEOPLE.

I don’t understand what it is with people acting like jerks sometimes, especially in pits, but please be nice to everyone. Jerks can ruin the experience, so don’t be that guy stepping on everyone’s toes, shoving and pushing because it’s your fave on stage and you want to be at the barricade. Be nice. Be mindful. We all came here wanting to have a great time so don’t be that guy taking the fun away for being an asshole.

Don’t forget why you made that trek to be there. Have fun, and enjoy every second of it! Time flies when you’re having fun, and trust me, everything will feel like a blur after so you gotta make the most of everything.

[henrivillegas]

"There ain't no darkness that I fear" - @bhwrd 27 of 29 #brushpen #thedailytype #handtype #typespire #type #handmade #handwritten #vsco #vscocam #design #februarychallenge #lettering #brush #brushlettering #dailytype #music #lyrics #benhoward (at Black Kings Bar x Cafe)

[henrivillegas]

"There's more to living than being alive" - @anberlin 26 of 29 #brushpen #thedailytype #handtype #typespire #type #handmade #handwritten #vsco #vscocam #design #februarychallenge #lettering #brush #brushlettering #dailytype #music #lyrics #anberlin (at Black Kings Bar x Cafe)

[henrivillegas]

"My youth, my youth is yours." - @troyesivan 25 of 29 #brushpen #thedailytype #handtype #typespire #type #handmade #handwritten #vsco #vscocam #design #februarychallenge #lettering #brush #brushlettering #dailytype #music #lyrics #troyesivan #youth (at Black Kings Bar x Cafe)