Thoughts And Notions The Demos (2005-2008)

I'm posting a compilation album that I compiled which consists of possible songs that could have been for the new album. These are all of the songs that Thoughts And Notions as a "band" has recorded from the beginning until the end of Thoughts And Notions' "band" phase. I'm posting all the song credits below as well as a brief description and history of the songs. Some of these songs are rough recordings or unfinished recordings of the songs.This is the definitive discography of unreleased songs by Thoughts And Notions.

Thoughts And Notions: The Demos (2005-2008)

Thoughts And Notions were:

Jasper Lloyd Tan-Lyricist

Wilbert Tan-Guitars,Bass, Drums, Vocals

Thrina Dimaano-Vocals

Alvin Carreon-Bass

Tim Marquez-Guitars

John Fernandez-Guitars, Vocals

Jun2x Dychauco-Drums

Adonis Berongoy-Drums, Vocals

Erikson Gloria-Guitars, Bass

Track Listing: (In order of recorded dates)

1.Hanggang Ngayon- A song track written by John and Alvin's good friend Marjorie Abaa who asked the band to record and arrange the song. The song talks about undying love in the face of a love gone awry. This song has those signature OPM Pop flavors written all over it.

Words by Marjorie Abaa, Music by Marjorie Abaa/John Fernandez. Thrina on Vocals, John and Tim on Guitars, Alvin on Bass, and Jun2x on Drums.  

2.Feeling That I Found In You- A song track that features John on vocals which is also incidentally written by John himself. The song talks about unrequited love.This is a popish college rock sounding song reminiscent of the 90's pop/rock band era.

Words and Music by John Fernandez. John on Vocals/guitars, Tim on guitars, Alvin on Bass, Jun2x on Drums.                                                                        

3.Pagsapit ng Panahon- This song was originally an entry for a songwriting contest conducted by a National Environmental Group which was being judged by folk singer/songwriter Noel Cabangon. This song was chosen as among the Top 5 entries (as what the organizers excitedly told me) but unfortunately, the group had to declare a failure of competitions because only 5 entries were worthy to be included in an album compilation which was supposed to pick 10 winners. The song is an upbeat, hopeful, and inspirational track that talks about preserving the beauty of our environment. The song has elements of folk pop written all over it. 

Words by Jasper Lloyd Tan, Music by Wilbert Tan. Thrina on Vocals, Wilbert on guitars, bass, and ethnic drums.

4.Sana- John's entry for the same above forementioned competition. This song has two versions, The radio edit version which comes with the complete band but shorter and condensed, and the much longer Acoustic Version. I don't know if this song was named among the top 5 entries, I was never told of it's fate. But this song is a storytelling type of composition that gives us the artist's perspective of looking back at the past wonders of our environment before it was laid to waste. It's actually a good slow song. 

Words and Music by John Fernandez. John on Vocals and Guitars, Wilbert on Bass and Drums.                                              

5.Ang Ating Kapaligiran- This was an alternate entry that I wrote for the same competition. I didn't quite like the lyrical content of this particular song because it's full of negativism. But Wilbert brilliantly provided a fitting musical accompaniment (bluesy rock) to it's lyrics. As a whole, It's a good song, an honest outcry to stop the abuses that we do to mother nature. 

Words by Jasper Lloyd Tan, Music by Wilbert Tan. Wilbert on Vocals, guitars, bass, and drums.

6.Let Me Get Close- As the title suggests, this song was written with the intention to capture the interest of a toothpaste company. Unfortunately, we weren't able to send this song to them. The music is best decribed as traditional acoustic pop.

Words and Music by Wilbert Tan. Wilbert on Vocals and guitars

7.It's You- A song that talks about destiny and soulmates. Of waiting to find someone that could complete you. This song can be compared to that hit song by Keith Martin called Because of You. This can be a very good and warm love song that doesn't necesarily talk about romantic love, but can also talk about finding God's Love.

Words and Music by Jasper Lloyd Tan. Thrina on Vocals, Wilbert on Guitars, bass, and drums.

8.Xavier, Alma Mater (Rock Version)- I asked John to arrange a modern version of the Xavier University Hymn to suit the current musical trends of this generation. I was able to think of this idea because for the past few years, a lot of X.U. students has maligned and disrespected the song. I wanted to give it relevance to the new generation. We retained all of the lyrics but arranged the song in such a way that the new generation would be able to appreciate it. The musical arrangement has this coldplayish feel to it. We only got to play this song live once at the Xavier Gym. And what makes it sad is that it was unrecognizable because we had to deal with a flawed sound system.

Words by Xavier University, Music by John Fernandez. John on Vocals/guitars, Thrina on backing vocals, Tim on lead guitars, Alvin on bass, and Jun2x on drums. 

9.Runaway Angel- This was the projected carrier single for the new album. I could say that this song was splendidly done from the lyrics to the arrangement, and down to the recordings. Some of those who were able to hear this song were saying that it sounds so foreign. The song talks about the state of being lost and confused because of too much of belief in ourselves. But despite our mistakes, we all should not lose hope because there is someone out there who is willing to readily help us. Someone like God and those people who truly cares for us.

Words by Jasper Lloyd Tan, Music by Wilbert Tan. Thrina on Vocals, Wilbert on Guitars, bass, and drums.

10.Like A Child- This is a very moving song inspired by Freddie Aguilar's song called Anak. I wrote this song as a parent's song to their growing up sons and daughters. How we sometimes no longer need them because we believe that we are old enough to stand by ourselves. But despite this, our parents still will always love and care for us at all times. We brought in Violinist Jan Legazpi to add violin tracks to the song. I believe it's his violins which brought the emotional tug of the song.

Words by Jasper Lloyd Tan, Music by Wilbert Tan. Thrina on Vocals, Wilbert on Guitars, Jan Legaspi on Violins.

11.When- This song speaks about finding the right person just when everything seems lost and gone. This song has heavy rock flavors written all over it, with Wilbert's stinging guitar solos to Erikson's additional guitar works.

Words by Jasper Lloyd Tan, Music by Wilbert Tan. Thrina on Vocals, Wilbert on guitars, bass and drums, Erikson on additional guitars.

12.Bizarre Love Triangle- This is a cover of New Order's most popular song with additional arrangements to make it sound our own. I was totally blown away by Tim's guitar solos.

Words and Music by New Order, additional arrangements by Thoughts And Notions. Thrina on Vocals, Tim and Erikson on guitars, Alvin on Bass, Adonis on Drums.

13.Arise- I was actually inspired to write this song after hearing Tim's composition which we unfortunately weren't able to record. This was also the first song that I collaborated with Adonis. Most of my songs were done with Wilbert, this one was a first. And I actually liked the way it was arranged. It has an anthemic rock sound that surprisingly worked well with it's lyrics which talks about not giving up and just continue to fight on.

Words by Jasper Lloyd Tan, Music by Adonis Berongoy. Thrina on Vocals, Tim and Erikson on guitars, Alvin on Bass, Adonis on Drums.

14.Free- If John's musical creativity was unveiled through his song Feeling That I Found In You, this song was Adonis' turn to unleash his own musical creativity. This song has a very upbeat sound and is very well in touch with it's message which is basically about being free with someone you love.

Words and Music by Adonis Berongoy. Thrina on Vocals, Tim and Erikson on Guitars, Alvin on Bass, Adonis on Drums.

15.Cloudy Day- A wistful ballad, and it shows a lot of promise. This is actually the best song that I heard from Adonis. And Erikson's guitar solos are to die for. If there was a definitive song for this particular lineup of the band, this would have been it.

Words and Music by Adonis Berongoy. Thrina on Vocals, Tim and Erikson on Guitars, Alvin on Bass, Adonis on Drums.

16.Generation Green- This song was written for the same environmental group that I previously mentioned. Since there was a failure of competitions, we decided to voluntarily write a new one according to their needs. And they totally love this song because it's so anthemic. This song would soon be launched by the same group provided that there won't be glitches this time.

Words by Jasper Lloyd Tan and Wilbert Tan, Music by Wilbert Tan. Adonis on Vocals, Wilbert on backing vocals, guitars, bass, and drums.

17.Stronger, Higher, Farther- This song was supposed to be an entry for the X.U. Jubilee Celebration songwriting competition. We were able to beat the deadline but it seems the song was not good enough for their tastes because they declared an extension of the competition. But despite this, I am particularly proud of this song because we were able to finish this in such short notice. I guess the message of this song wasn't what they were looking for. The main message of this song is HOPE. I love the way I wrote the lyrics of this song, because of it's simplicity without necessarily sacrificing it's poetic composition. 

Words by Jasper Lloyd Tan, Music by Adonis Berongoy. Thrina on Vocals, Erikson on Guitars, Alvin on Bass, Adonis on Drums

18.A Time For Change- Adonis' own entry for the same competition. It also suffered the same fate as my entry. Adonis sang this song along with a guest vocalist, the band's good friend who has been supporting us since the beginning, Doris Bangot. The song speaks about finding the courage to find change within ourselves to effect a better future and change the world in a better way.

Words and Music by Adonis Berongoy. Adonis on Vocals/drums, Erikson on Guitars/bass, Doris Bangot on backing vocals.

19.Kevin Sardines (blues)- Wilbert's bluesy version of a song jingle for the Kevin brand sardines. Aired on Radio stations from the year 2006-2007.

Words and Music by Wilbert Tan. Wilbert on Vocals, bass, and drums.

20.Kevin Sardines (BisRock)- Adonis' new take of the Kevin Sardines song jingle. Bis Rock (Short for Bisaya Rock) style. Presently airing. 

Words and Music by Adonis Berongoy. Adonis on Vocals/Drums, Thrina on backing vocals, Eriskon on Guitars, Alvin on Bass.     

These were all the songs that we recorded. Tracks 3, 9-11, 13-15, 17-18 were to be considered for the new album, but since I already broke up the band, all the songs that wasn't written by me will be reverted back to its owner since it's their compositions. As for my songs, I'm still hopeful that we would be able to get it out soon. But I guess the release date will have to be pushed back a little since I will have to write newer songs and I'm currently pursuing other music related projects.

So let me just take this opportunity to thank all of those musicians who were once a part of Thoughts And Notions. It was one experience that I could never forget. And since we all are moving in different directions, a reunion though is still not far fetched since I would be getting session musicians to fill in the band. Like John Fernandez who recently played a gig with us during the Rock Ed Buhrock event at SM after 2 years of being apart from the band. So it's going to be an open membership for the meantime. If you are interested to play/session for Thoughts And Notions, feel free to contact me, I'll see what I can do. Hopefully I could find the right band members who could share my vision and mission for Thoughts And Notions.   

Posted below are some of the tracks that I mentioned above. Feel free to drop us some comments. thanks and God Bless! 

An Amazing Story

Tim Marquez (2nd from left) at the Kerygma Feast  

I just need to share this inspiring story. Just recently, I was able to get in touch with Tim Marquez, our former lead guitarist who had to quit the band after he returned to his home province in Camiguin Island to be with his family. I was so touched and inspired by his story. He shared to me that ever since he left the band, he began hooking up with their church's music ministry and has been enjoying his stay there.He told me that he misses being in a band but he really appreciates to be a part of their church's music ministry. And because of this, he has begun too see things differently and has started to even appreciate his God given guitar playing talent more. He has pledged himself to help out in their music ministry and has devoted his free time to join practices and praise and worship events. This would sound like an ordinary story for someone who have been a part of a Christian band like Thoughts And Notions, but let me tell you this...    

Before Tim became a part of Thoughts And Notions, he had never been a part of a Church group where he could actively share his talents for God. 

I have been urging him to find a home where he could nurture his faith and relationship with God during the time when he was still in the band. And for some reason or another, he couldn't find one. I myself have been actively searching for Christian Life Programs where he could attend, but alas, there always had been some conflict with the time and schedules. Up until the day he resigned from the band, he never found a home (but he regularly goes to church on Sundays). So I never expected that one day he would be sharing to me his happiness to find a home where he could nurture his relationship with God and at the same time share his talents for God. When he shared this to me, I felt an overflowing of joy to learn that on his own, he never forgot to seek God and start a relationship with him. Since the inception of the band Thoughts And Notions, and to all the band members that have played for it, I have always emphasized to the band members that for the band to succeed, God should be its focal point. Many of the recruits never had a formal Christian life program. It was only Wilbert, Thrina, Jun2x (first drummer), and I who were able to go through a Christian life program through our Church (Erikson and Adonis were from other Churches). The others did not. And I have always shared to them how important having a relationship with God is. That going to church might not be enough. And that one needs to nurture their faith with the help of a group of people or a community.

And then I hear this story. All that I could say at that time was... WOW! Because after all that we have been through, and after all the doubts that I have about the band's direction, I came to encounter such an inspiring story. Because I have always thought that the vision of the band failed them, or to be correct, I failed them. From the moment I decided to disband the band, I thought everything was over, and that I could no longer carry on with the band's mission and vision. I was wrong. I came to realize that Thoughts And Notions never failed them. I was just too blind and preoccupied in finding opportunities for the band that I forgot to allow God to work his miracles, his grace. I know that for now, I have decided to disband the band. And this might not necessarily be a bad thing. Because for those who have ever been a part of Thoughts And Notions, I could now say that deep down inside of them, a seed was implanted. A seed that speaks about sharing God's love and how we respond to it.

Band members may have come in and out of the band, but none of us ended up as losers. Because we gained a lot. The band may have been disbanded, but deep down, I know that they can very well take care of themselves and their spiritual growth. Right now my direction would be to hire sessionists to fill in the "band" role. I'll just focus on writing the songs and have the sessionists play it. I believe that through this setup, I would be inviting more and more people to experience the band or the movement called Thoughts And Notions... and maybe, just maybe, we could inspire a whole new set of musicians who is ready and on call to ROCK for GOD! 

Tim! You are a living inspiration of Thoughts And Notions

Thoughts And Notions guesting at Killer Bee Indie Top 20 Countdown.

We guested last night at 89.3 Killer Bee Indie Top 20 countdown and we had so much fun. It was a very good opportunity for us to share our music. Curious listeners were texting and calling the station to inquire about the band. But I couldn't even be more happier than being allowed to finally share the main story of how our album came to be, or what the songs were all about. In previous radio guestings, I always sat at the sidelines and allow the band to do the talking and limit myself into butting in to add some more stories to share. But last night I personally took the liberties to jumpstart the conversation (which I guess kinda scared the show's host, Geo, because the conversations might come out as too serious hehe). Of course, we don't want to bore our radio listeners by turning out to be too serious in the whole duration of the interview (though sometimes I couldn't help it hehe). I went to the station along with Thrina, Alvin, and Erikson (both would be doing session work for an upcoming gig), and I guess we were able to aptly divide the topics. Serious stuffs were on me, while the perky stuffs was on them.

So what were the topics that we touched on? Listeners were curious about the band's songs, if it's in a way inviting the listeners to become Christians. My answer for this was NO. I explained that we don't intend to sound preachy in our songs, but our songs is a way of expressing or sharing our faith. Or to be correct, our walk in our faith. It's basically our experiences as Christians. How we struggled in our faith, how we triumphed over the trials, and of course how we are thankful for God's Love. You can compare it to just like a songwriter writing a love song. I'm sure he wrote that particular love song with no intention of making the listeners fall in love, but rather he wrote that song as a way of expressing his thoughts or feelings about love. We are also trying to find a connection with the listeners who could in a way relate to the songs and hopefully be more appreciative of the life that was given to them.

Callers were also asking about our influences if we knew about other Christian artists. And yeah, Jars of Clay and Sixpence None the Richer are our big influences. And I also made mention about Megan and her band Paid. I was also surprised to know that there was a caller who was from Metro Manila inquiring about the band's availability for a Metro Manila gig. I didn't know that there were listeners tuning in as far as Metro Manila. We also took the occasion to launch our new single, My Journey Ends, an acoustic tinged track that we hope people would support and vote for. Geo also told us that our song, Brand New Day, debuted at no. 19 during the shows pilot run (but unfortunately it fell off the countdown hehe). I was kinda surprised that people were still voting for the song and I'm thankful that they supported it. So we are asking everyone to take time to vote for our songs to be included in the top 20 countdown. You can vote My Love Song, Earthbound Angel, Brand New Day, and My Journey Ends (let's focus on My Journey Ends).

All in all, I was quite satisfied with how the interview went. I'm hoping that through the interview, I was able to share more about the band and it's core values. And that I was able to dislodge from the listeners' minds that Christian Music equals boring music. And of course, the most important thing, God's love. I guess Megan and Paid can back us up during their own guesting happening on April 28, 2008.

It's going to be a very busy week for us. We will be having gigs this weekend and I'll be posting more about it in my next posts. For those of you who stayed up late and joined us on the show, my heartfelt thanks to all of you. Let's continue supporting local CDO Music.

         

Want to own a CD Sampler?

Want to own a CD Sampler? We will be guesting on 89.3 Killerbee Indie Top 20 countdown this coming monday (April 14) at 9pm-12mn. CD samplers and other freebies would be given away to the lucky callers. Posted below is a press release that I wrote years back when the CD sampler was first released as well as a photo of the CD sampler.

Thoughts And Notions' moving rock ballad Earthbound Angel is now included in Praise Music's music sampler. The song Earthbound Angel have been capturing and touching hearts all over the country with its laid back guitar strums, and a booming accompaniment of bass and drums. With lyrics and melody written by Band manager/lyricist Jasper Lloyd Tan, the song speaks about the traits and qualities of what real and unadulterated love is and should be. Choosing to be selfless in sharing love to a person. Choosing to stay when love can go, and believing in love all over again. Thoughts And Notions is composed of Thrina Dimaano on Vocals, Tim Marquez on Guitars, Alvin Carreon on Bass, and Adonis Berongoy on Drums. Erickson Gloria provides session guitar works. The band has just recently featured on Fish Magazine. Praise Music, the band's national record distributor, usually releases music sampler for their loyal PBC (Praise Business Club) members. The CD sampler also includes songs by Avalon, Katinas, Opm alternative Christian rock band 23rd Psalm, and a whole lot more. The cd can be availed by applying as a PBC member at all House of Praise music outlets Nationwide. Thoughts And Notions debut album In Awe of His Amazing Love can be bought at all House of Praise Music Outlets  and leading record bars Nationwide.

 

Hope you guys can turn on your radio dial and join us. We will be waiting for your call...

What is old is new again.

With Tonton Rosquetta and Raphy Sescon, session players along with Joshua Manguiran (not in photo)

So I have finally found a way to make things work again. After a few days of incessant thinking and planning... i finally found my way back into how things would get going. I wouldn't have been pressured to think about how I would be able to get our songs back to the live audience again if it wasn't for those who all of a sudden wanted to book us for a gig. The past few months have been very lean months so i never expected a call from anyone inquiring about our availability. There were already previous bookings that I was considering of cancelling, but then a DJ friend called me up about a Christian concert that their radio station would be hosting. I cannot say no to these types of events. So I decided to call Thrina and plan things out with her. And this would be our new setup...

We would be hiring sessionists to fill in the band everytime there would be invitations and bookings for live gigs. Right now I would be hiring some familiar faces as well as new faces to fill in the band. I would no longer grant permanent status until such time I would be able to see their commitment, dedication, sincerity, and loyalty to the mission and vision of Thoughts And Notions. Moving forward, Thoughts And Notions would be looking back at it's history, to the time when we formally decided to start this project... looking deep in our hearts and acknowledging God's immense love for us and what we wanna do about it. This is our story to share, what is old is new again.  

                                             "The Vocalist and the Lyricist circa 2004"

I'm posting a very2x old recording of the first song that I have ever written for Thoughts And Notions. This is also the first recording that we ever did. I call this song Savior (stripped down version) because this is still half finished, but it gives you a very raw feel of the song. 

Sixpence None The Richer - My Dear Machine Music Video.

After a brief hiatus and Leigh Nash's solo album "Blue on Blue", Sixpence None the Richer reunites this year to continue their music. I am so happy to hear about this development. I'm posting their first video My Dear Machine from their still yet untitled EP.

Metro Manila Sojourn

(A photo of the band with Praise Music A&R Jeff Oreta and Thoughts And Notions Co-founder Wilbert Tan which was taken at Praise Music's building in Quezon City) 

 

I'm posting an old post that I posted in our old blogsite. If there was a high point in the band's existence, this would have to be it.

 

"Thoughts And Notions just had their first ever out of town gig with no less than Metro Manila as the destination point. Organized by Contact TV, a Church Community based in U.S.A, the band played in front of the Metro Manila crowd for four nights at the Quirino Grandstand. Playing back to back with another Christian rock band based in Manila called 23^rd Psalm, the band came out as a blessing to their audience as they played various songs by Hillsong as well as cuts from their debut album. The trip was an eye opener for the band as it was their first ever out of town gig. With Travel and accommodations as well as meal allowance shouldered by the organizers, Thoughts And Notions managed to inspire the crowd who were watching the show. Not even the strong winds and occasional drizzle could deter the band from sharing their music.

 

The band also visited the office of their record distributor, Praise Music, and even took the time to visit Energy FM (a radio station in Manila with local branches all over the country) to tape an on-air interview. This was also the first time for the band to have a gig without their band manager around. Things did go smoothly well, except for some bloopers and mishaps. Over all it was a great learning experience for the band to be given the opportunity to travel and share their music in other cities outside of Cagayan de Oro. The band is thankful to all the organizers who were an inspiration, and a blessing to the band."

 

The reason why I posted this again is that just recently, I've been sifting through all the clutter in my table and I managed to find the taped interview of the band that they had with Energy FM as well as a video of their random performances in Manila. I never had the chance to post this taped interview before so I'm posting it now so that i could share it to all of you. Time does indeed fly so fast...

 

 

The Best Of Sixpence None The Richer

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Music
Genre:	Christian & Gospel
Artist:	Sixpence None The Richer

I'm posting the story of Sixpence None the Richer as written on the album inlay of their best of album.

"The story of Sixpence None the Richer is the tale of two remarkable people who both embraced culture and sought to shake it, leaving an indelible mark on the face of pop music.  Though many artists had sacrificed either their faith or their art for the sake of commercial success, Sixpence maintained a rare combination of artistic integrity and steadfast conviction in the wake of mass appeal, all the while unashamedly presenting a philosophy of faith that often left the watching world speechless.
The journey first began for vocalist Leigh Nash and songwriter/guitarist Matt Slocum, both of New Braunfels, Texas, with the release of their acclaimed but little-distributed debut, The Fatherless and the Widow (REX Records, 1994).   This sparsely-produced record startled critics with the way Nash perfectly owned Slocum's songwriting, breathing an effervescent life into each line as though it were her own. Already, Sixpence had found the combination of wrenching lyrical depth and brave vocals that would captivate thousands as the band's career progressed.   
The band's 1995 follow-up, This Beautiful Mess, met with growing acclaim, but suffered from REX's demise shortly after its release.  Sixpence then found a welcome home in newly-formed indie-label Squint Entertainment, the brainchild of legendary producer Steve Taylor.  With a resolute commitment to introducing people everywhere to the band's music, Squint prepared to launch the momentous album that would move Sixpence into its spotlit pop center.
First released in 1997, Sixpence None the Richer spent more than a year on shelves before its winsome love song, "Kiss Me," landed on the soundtrack to Miramax Film's "She's All That."  Seemingly overnight, Sixpence found themselves with the #1 pop song in the U.S., as "Kiss Me" became the most-played song in 11 countries and topped VH1's "Video Countdown."  The GRAMMY-nominated sonnet appeared on sitcoms and soaps, and landed the band on Leno, Letterman, and morning talk's crown jewels as well.  Even England's royal family couldn't resist the single's charms, playing the song for over 200 million viewers at Prince Edward's 1999 wedding. 
In due time, Sixpence followed that success with its cover of the La's hit "There She Goes," adding an eleventh-hour recording of the song to its soon-to-be platinum-selling project.  Establishing Sixpence as a legitimate "Breakthrough Artist," according to R&R Magazine, the song became a Top 10 pop single and video in its own right. More television and movie appearances followed, including a cover of Sam Phillips' "I Need Love" for the Here On Earth soundtrack (Twentieth Century Fox), NBC's Today Presents: The Best of the Summer Concert Series ("Us"), and original worship choruses for the compilation albums Exodus ("Brighten My Heart") and Streams ("Breathe"), along with many others.
Sixpence's final studio album, 2002's Divine Discontent, recorded the band's struggle to come to terms with the obligations of its commercial success. Divine Discontent delivered another Top 10 single with its cover of Crowded House's "Don't Dream It's Over," and a Top 20 with "Breathe Your Name," while giving the band a chance to take stock of its creative journey and reiterate its deep-seated convictions.
The Best of Sixpence None the Richer finally gathers these many, varied songs into one comprehensive collection.  The project covers wide topical ground, from cult pop classics like Abba's "Dancing Queen," that Sixpence covered for the 1999 political satire Dick (Sony Pictures), to such philosophically-defining treatises as "The Ground You Shook," a poignantly understated contribution Sixpence made to the tribute album Roaring Lambs, titled after Bob Briner's best-selling book by the same name. 
The Best of Sixpence None the Richer gathers Sixpence favorites from across each of the band's studio albums, along with hard-to-find cuts from various soundtracks and compilations and a few new songs.  The track list includes the band's version of "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times," contributed to a compilation commemorating Beach Boy Brian Wilson, and a unique Japanese version of "Kiss Me" never before heard outside Japan.  Revealing Sixpence's spiritual bent are such fan favorites as the Psalmic "Trust (Reprise)" from The Fatherless and the Widow; the atmospheric, quizzical opening to This Beautiful Mess, "Angeltread;" and Divine Discontent's "Melody of You," which climatically marries the group's streams of artistry, belief and pop appeal.  The collection would not be complete without a couple of fresh creative offerings, found in the previously unreleased cuts "Loser Like Me" and "Too Far Gone."
Together, this collection of songs chronicles the dedication Sixpence has shown to Briner's call for believers to "...confidently carry their faith with them into the marketplace so that our very culture feels the difference."  Time and again, from Regis to Leno, the members of Sixpence have found opportunity to speak their faith by simply answering questions about the literary reference that birthed their name.  With each encounter, they patiently tell once more the story that Nash recounted in her appearance on Letterman in August, 1999.  Although Nash has never completely overcome her youthful nervousness on stage, she bravely walked over to a chair on the "Late Show" stage following her band's performance.
After asking where the band's name came from, Letterman teasingly interrupted Nash to ask if he could stop by her hotel room after the show.  Nash's blank silence stopped him cold, chastening him into an apology.  With that, she proceeded to finish her story.
"It comes from a book by C. S. Lewis...called Mere Christianity," she resumed.  "A little boy asks his father if he can get a sixpence - a very small amount of English currency - to go and get a gift for his father. The father gladly accepts the gift and he's really happy with it, but he also realizes that he's not any richer for the transaction..."
"He bought his own gift," Letterman responded.  "That's right," Nash continued. "C.S. Lewis was comparing that to his belief that God has given him, and us, the gifts that we possess, and to serve Him the way we should, we should do it humbly...realizing how we got the gifts in the first place."
"Well, that's beautiful," Letterman stammered, with uncharacteristic earnestness.  "If we could just keep that little sliver of enlightenment with us, things would be so much better..."
World-renowned theologian C. S. Lewis provided a fitting foundation for the impressive platform Sixpence None the Richer built to change the world.  Following in Lewis' footsteps, Sixpence understood that to reach people, one must communicate in their language, and do so with honest imagination.  And each, in word or song, gained the ear of their generation, conveying orthodox truths to a waiting, watching audience without ever compromising art or thought."

Whenever I feel down, all I need to do is reread this story all over again. And It helps me find direction with our music. Sixpence None the Richer is truly the best Christian artist out there that is worth emulating!

Pinoy Magazine feature article

Thoughts And Notions is featured in Pinoy Magazine's April issue which has a cover photo of Jericho Rosales. Pinoy Magazine is a monthly magazine/songhits publication that features the top OPM artists and songs in the land. The lyrics and chords of top Thoughts And Notions songs "My Love Song" and "Earthbound Angel" is included in the said issue as well as a feature article about the band. This is the first songhits/songbook publication that features the songs of Thoughts And Notions (although this is not the first national publication to feature Thoughts And Notions, as they already appeared previously in National Magazines such as Candy and Fish Magazine). 

Thanks to Annie E. Medina for accomodating us. We would like to encourage everyone to buy a copy and read for yourself the story of Thoughts And Notions... 

Hot FM Praisetival

Start:	Apr 18, '08 2:00p
End:	Apr 18, '08 10:00p
Location:	Ororama Mega Center Theater, Lapasan, Cagayan de Oro City

Christian band fest hosted by Hot FM

My Journey Ends

Well what can i say? Today is the last day that Thoughts And Notions continues to remain a band. After three long years of existence, I finally called it quits. The band thing to be exact. I could no longer endure another lineup change. After an unpleasant thing happened, I finally chose to let the band go. I personally feel that the band may have finally given in to pressure. Surviving in a very harsh music scene in a small city like Cagayan de Oro is no joke. For one, we have to contend with the locality's less than enthusiastic support for a local band's original song compositions, and secondly, we still had to wrestle with the mainstream listener's hesitance to appreciate Christian music as it is. Sometimes they put us in a box and say that our music should only be played in Churches. One of the most unforgettable line that I heard being uttered by someone who could have chosen to appreciate our songs without prejudice is this:

"Maganda na sana yung music niyo, kaso Christian lang." (You're music is great, if only it wasn't Christian)

What the!?! Why can't people just appreciate Christian Contemporary Music like how they appreciate other types of music? Basically the music is almost the same except for the lyrical content. An artist can write whatever song he wants, whatever story he wants to tell in his songs, and whatever messages he wants to impart. You listen to a song and appreciate it regardless of form, genre, or other labels that we would want to put in. When I started Thoughts And Notions, I was never afraid of the labels. I didn't care if the mainstream audience would accept us or not. I chose to soldier on and face them head on. For sure some of our songs are tailored for the mainstream market, but i never hid the fact that we are a Christian band, and I am proud of that. But as soon as I expanded the membership of Thoughts And Notions, people with different ideas came in with their own ideas. And I ceded the songs' creative control to them because I was busy handling the marketing aspect of the band. And little by little, we have lost track with what was the band's purpose of existence. We have strayed away from band's mission which was to share God's love through music. I'm guessing that ever since everyone in the band approved of the decision to tone down the Christian part of the band's songs, that's when problems started coming in.

The mistake we had was that we allowed the criticisms and prejudices to get the better of us. I have been talking here in our previous posts that a new album is all raring to go and is in the recording process. Unfortunately, majority of those songs' messages are not like our debut album. We wanted it to be safe and acceptable to the mainstream audience. Songs that no longer talk about God's love, but romantic love. And I guess that was the time when God finally pulled the plug.

I have always believed that Thoughts And Notions came to be because of one reason. And that reason is the love that we (the founding members, Wilbert, Thrina and I) have for God. For all the breaks and opportunities that we have, we wouldn't have achieved them if it wasn't for God's blessings. The band will be going their separate ways and may try out their luck in the mainstream market. As for me, I'm going back to songwriting. It will be a fresh new start for the band. While I would be going my way back to writing songs about God's love and the experience of having felt his love. I want to be versatile in my songwriting. I want to write about faith in action.

So what will become of Thoughts And Notions? Thoughts And Notions will continue to produce, record, and create songs in accordance to it's original intentions with Wilbert, Thrina, and me still in the fold. As what the founding members originally intended it to be. It just so happens that a band is no longer around to give the audience a "live feel" of our music (for the meantime anyway). But then we want to share his love in other more accessible ways. And there's no better way to do it than do it here in our website.

Before I end this post, let me share to you the last track of our debut album. The song called My Journey Ends. This is a fitting song for the band's story for the last 3 years. The version that you will be hearing here is an unreleased version of the song which was recorded with Jun2x Dychauco (our first drummer) doing the additional drum tracks. This is a fitting tribute to Thoughts And Notions' "band" phase. I am planning to release the album's version on radio as the final single for our debut album. Our debut album is still out in major record bars (Odyssey, SM Record Bars, and House of Praise) nationwide.

UPDATE 1

We eventually did finish the album as we reconciled and added some new members. This was a down phase that we had to deal with. And everything happens for a reason.

UPDATE 2 

The version as originally posted had been lost when I transferred the contents of our original Multiply Blogsite to Blogger. Sharing here instead is the link of the song on SPOTIFY.