What Real Christmas Means to Me

Since we've decided to return last year, one of the plans that we put into motion was to write a Christmas song. It is something that we have never done before, and it was one of the goals for 2022. In the Philippines, as early as September, Christmas tunes already abound the airwaves. And it is none other than the premier Filipino Christmas Carol balladeer Jose Mari Chan, who usually dominates radio stations' playlists with his song "Christmas in our Hearts." It is really a staple here in the Philippines for more than 30 years and counting. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Filipinos can memorize his song better than other traditional Christmas Carols. That's how big he is. Meanwhile, while the plans to revive Thoughts And Notions didn't come into fruition yet last year, the other half of Thoughts And Notions' songwriting duo, Wilbert Tan, was busy starting his own solo musical project under the pseudonym, Wile Lile. Not really a gifted vocalist, his musical excursions were mostly in the instrumental nature. And after one fine boring day, he decided to compose an intense Rock Metal version of "Christmas in our Hearts" just for the fun of it. We would later call it "The Nightmare before Christmas in our Hearts" in tribute of that animated movie headlined by the creepy Jack Skellington. Nightmare because we might have just ruined the most well-loved Christmas song in our country, by making use of Jose Mari Chan's vocals on a Rock Metal arrangement of his well-loved Christmas song. But it was just for the sheer fun of it. You can hear the sample of that project in the video I attached below:      

So, while it was nothing serious but just the mere pleasure of flexing Wile Lile's creative juices, I on the other hand was seriously thinking about writing a Christmas song lyric that would probably fit in the post covid world. And to find inspiration for it, I looked around and asked people I know what Christmas means to them. One of the most common answers was, Jose Mari Chan. This had turned to become a vicious joke in the local social media platforms in the past years or so. Some of those I asked would answer that Christmas would remind them about accomplishments/victories that they achieved for the year. Looking forward to the Christmas Bonus for a job well done. I asked some kids what Christmas means to them, and the common answer was the gifts/presents that they are looking forward to receiving. Or the Christmas parties that they will be attending. Or about that old guy in red, Santa Claus, if he would be visiting on Christmas Eve to drop some presents to those who were nice. And yet some would say, it's about the boy in the manger. Born on Christmas Eve, Jesus Christ, our savior. So, I put these all into thought and used it as an inspiration for me to come up with my first Christmas themed lyrics. Of course, the original intention was to write a song that would also sound something similar to traditional Christmas songs like the one Jose Mari Chan is singing. After I finished writing the lyrics, I sent them to Wilbert, for him to compose his music making magic to our Christmas song.

Tirada on the overall band music

And to be honest, I never really thought that the song would sound like what it is right now. I was mind blown, and aghast that our song has turned into a non-traditional Jose Mari Chan like Christmas song. But Wilbert's continuing creative juice to come up with an edgier sounding Christmas song has taken the reins during his creative process. And since Thoughts And Notions basically for the year operated as a songwriting duo that features various Cagayan de Oro based artists to interpret their songs, Wilbert suggested to me that we'll let his Glam/Alternative Rock Band Tirada interpret the song instead. At first, I really wasn't sold on the idea. I still wanted a more solemn and traditional Christmas Carol like song. But Wilbert told me he wanted to be different and non-traditional. There's no way that we are going to be remembered for a Christmas song that will always pale in comparison to a monolithic 30 plus year old song by Jose Mari Chan. So, I finally gave in. I mean sometimes our musical tastes differs, but I've always let Wilbert do his musical stuffs when it comes to our partnership with Thoughts And Notions. Good thing that both of us have this habit of being non-traditional when it comes to our songs and are looking to innovate whenever we can. So, the first order of things was really to make this a collaborative process with some of the most active musicians in Cagayan de Oro's local music scene. And what a cast of musicians we've assembled. 

AJ Alburo on Bass

Apart from the usual suspects (Wilbert and Me for Thoughts And Notions), we have Wilbert's band Tirada record the instrumental parts of the song. For added bass kicks, we got AJ Alburo, a bass guitar prodigy, jam in with the band. Then we got Elvis Rock Cabillar, of the 13th Philippines Music and Press Corps Star Awards Rock Artist of the year nominee Bloodflowers, to do the vocal chores. And then finally, Wilbert will turn into his Wile Lile persona to do some instrumental solo towards the end of the song that would rekindle us back to his solo instrumental outputs with his legendary Progressive Rock band Oblivion. And the final product he turned in? A beautifully written and recorded Frankenstein of a Christmas Song! No joke, my mind was blown away with the final product. I never envisioned my Christmas lyrics to turn into this ensemble cast of musicians with deep and various Rock influences to deliver one of the most unique Christmas songs that I have ever heard. In fact, I don't remember any Christmas song as intense as this.

Elvis Rock Cabillar on Vocals

But the final question will always be, do I think the song would be relevant to our times? Or make a mark to those who would be able to listen to it? That I don't know. But with all the countless Christmas songs and carols out there that glorifies the commercial power of the Christmas Season, I just wanted to contribute to helping people refocus on what Real Christmas truly means. And it has always been about the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He should be celebrated like how we celebrate the rock stars that we look up to. I believe we should be loud and boisterous and even proud to have him in our life. There is always a time for solemnity and calm. But wouldn't it also be great to be in a festive mood to celebrate Jesus? He who made our life extraordinary by living among us and then eventually sacrificing his life to save us from our sins. Because after the Christmas Season ends, and we'd be facing another New Year. The question remains, have we been a better Christian to our fellowmen for the year that was? 

Wile Lile on that sick lead guitar solo towards the end

But before the New Year comes, we hope you celebrate with us by Pre-Saving our song. And if you like it enough, help us make the song reach as many listeners as we can. Let's be loud and proud that Christmas is and will always be about Jesus!

Pre-Save Link:

https://bfan.link/what-real-christmas-means-to-me  

UPDATE!

What Real Christmas Means to Me just made it to the Official Spotify Editorial Playlist "New Music Friday"

Cre8ion: The Official Cre8Music Record Label Launch!

Would you believe that the last Gig that I co-produced and actually attended was in 2009 when our band Thoughts And Notions had our album launching for our second album? It was that long ago when I last attended a gig at a resto bar. Today also marked the official anniversary of our band's official Digital Music Release on various Digital Music Platforms. Mind you, this was unintended, and it was a mere coincidence when we officially set the date of our Record Label Launch. That it coincided with when I officially announced my return to the Indie Music scene a year ago. Yes! What a difference a year make. And to be honest, this was part of a longer plan, and I did not expect to make the leap in just a year since my return. But I guess I just had a lot of confidence with the team that I am with. First off, with Miguel Llado (of the band The Mox) and Namfi Fernandez (a budding Christian Singer/Songwriter), they have been instrumental for me to build my confidence to give this music thing another try. I was just observing on the sidelines how to navigate this thing all over again, and I saw the passion Migs has with his New Pinoy Music Collective, an Indie Music group that he had been nurturing and leading since before the Pandemic. I had a peek of his future plans in one of our conversations. I took careful notes of it. Namfi Fernandez, who I saw has this overflowing and infectious passion for Christian Music (something I have never shared with since I started way back). I feel that this is God's intended connection for me to find that drive and motivation to pursue the mission in bringing Christian Music to more audiences in our country, outside the confines of the Church. A personal mission of mine since before. And of course, the icing on the cake, Calvin Anchores, the President of Cre8Multi-Media, who embraced my original endeavors of starting a music label that aims to bring positive uplifting music to the listening audience. Cre8Music is under his umbrella, and I couldn't be happier to establish that as it goes in sync with his greater plan for Cre8Multi-media. These are the people that made the Record Label Launch happen last night. Dubbed as Cre8ion: The Official Cre8Music Launch, we finally formalized our entry to the Indie Music scene by featuring four of among the best and talented artists that we could find in the local indie music scene. Namely, ForSomeReason, Nico Frayn, Rockalyt, and Nadj Zablan. Of course, we have more on the wings like Jonah Agas, Dud Lemon, Rochy, and Ramen Response. But due to time limitations, we decided to launch the aforementioned four instead.

The event was officially opened with Migs and guest Co-Host Beverly introducing the other artists under us who were not performing on this night. This just gives our audience an idea of who are the other artists on our roster. The rocking evening however officially began when ForSomeReason took the stage and performed their original songs, including exclusive previews of songs that are being currently recorded. ForSomeReason was a personal recruit of mine to join us in our fledgling label. And actually, one of the strongest reasons why I decided to kickstart this label in the first place. The band used to be called Blameless 8:1, a Christian Rock band who were very active in Christian Band competitions back in the day. If memory serves me right, they've made it to the finals one or twice. So, it was a natural that their vocalist Benedict and I bonded on a common mission and goal, promoting Christian Contemporary Music in our country. And while we do acknowledge that it will be a tall order, getting people to buy in to the shared vision on how to approach that, makes things much easier for me. But for now, they go by the name of ForSomeReason, and they are singing about some mundane tunes of the daily laments of the common folks in the Rock/Alternative genre. Be it love, aspirations, pet peeves, or just the daily relatable journey of the common folks. But we are definitely preparing for the ressurection of Blameless 8:1's songs in the very near future.   

After ForSomeReason's rocking set, we tried to tone things down a bit and introduce Nico Frayn, our new Best Fraynd! For the evening's line up, it was only Nico who did the solo acoustic music set. I've heard some of his full band songs, and we believe that Nico also needs to have a backing band in the future, but we'll probably figure it out. But as it is, Nico can still hold his own with his acoustic guitar companion. I love Nico's confidence to banter with the audience. And I do feel his songs are what is more palatable to the current listening public's musical preferences. So, his set might not be as loud or as rocking as the others, but he held his own to tone down the crowd's energy a bit and prepare them for what was to come next. But yeah, his catalogue is something to watch out for. And we are releasing his EP very soon. Should be out maybe next year January with a new song and carrier single for his EP. So all I can say is if you are looking to hear some more tunes that are relatable to what is popular in mainstream radio now, then I suggest giving Nico's songs a try. Maybe someday, you'll make him your best Fraynd too!     

Rockalyt follows Nico's set, and oh my, I was totally floored by their performance. The venue was shaking as the crowd totally gave them all their love and audience participation. These guys have so much potential and just needs to be heard on a wider scale because they are in their peak element already. They've got a versatile eclectic mix of songs, and while rock music is still prominent in most of their songs, elements of Rap, Pop, and other influences abounds their song catalogue. Songs that harken back to the best days of the 90's and 2000's band explosion heydays. On a personal note, I also have a certain kinship with them as three members of the band are full blooded Mindanaoans who are now settling here in the Nation's Capital to pursue their musical dreams. In fact, the lead guitarist, Elpidio Ragas Jr., comes from my hometown in Cagayan de Oro. And had shared to me one time that when he was still a kid, he was able to watch one of our shows in Cagayan de Oro. So, talk about having a certain connection with his band. But to be honest, his story did tug at my heartstring a little. Because that just cements our band's legacy in Cagayan de Oro's local music scene. So while Thoughts And Notions never really went big on a national scale, but at least in our hometown, we were heard on a larger scale than we originally thought. So maybe, having Rockalyt as part of our start up label, would also mean that my dedication and mission to promote Cagayan de Oro's local music scene (and to an extent, the neighboring cities of Butuan and Surigao as well) would be represented by our partnership with Rockalyt. There are only two reasons why I'm in this music thing in the first place. And that is Christian Contemporary Music and Cagayan de Oro/North Mindanao Music. And Rockalyt will represent the other half of my advocacy.

And for the Grand Finale, well, there's no other artist to showcase from our label but the Veteran Rocker, Nadj Zablan. There's a funny story about how I met Nadj and kind of reeled him in to join my cause. I actually found his songs on one of the foreign playlists that my songs were in. Being the only Filipino on the playlist, I reached out to him and asked him to confirm if he was a Filipino too. And when he responded in the affirmative, I told him let's start something that can help our fellow Filipinos navigate the Digital Music thing. So, after months of exchanging ideas and thoughts about how to navigate this Indie Music thing together, well here we are, working together under one label. One thing I can say is that Nadj does have a huge, amazing heart to help fellow indie artists. In fact, two weeks ago, he rounded up some Indie Musicians we know from social media to guest on his regular Saturday shows at Cafe Lupe Antonio and shared the stage with them. Now that's talking about putting all the talk about supporting each other into action. Nadj's set was rocking in a more mature energy coming in from the crowd. A lot of his songs reminds us of the early U2 days and other such bands and I believe his songs best would be appreciated by the rocker kids of the 80's who are now basically the people running the economy now. So, I guess he'll be the older brother that should serve our roster of artists well as the one that they could run for advice. He's got the veteran presence of a battle-scarred rocker who had seen it all back in the day. Did I even mention that his old Rock Band Treadstone won a prestigious Nationwide Battle of the Bands as the Metro Manila Grand Champion? But he's not bringing that back, but instead transformed into another persona. A more Positive Rocker with a Positive Force to be reckoned with. And we are hoping that we can harness all of that positive energy to pass around to the rest of the artists on our roster.      

Missing Namfi for this evening

To end this blog, I apologize if these pictures don't look very good. I seemed to forget that my old job with Thoughts And Notions besides being the lyricist was being the designated photojournalist. That's the reason why I managed to have a lot of photos preserved in this blog, albeit using an inferior camera phone back in the day. But maybe I enjoyed the show so much, I forgot that there was another job that I was supposed to do. So, I just took screengrabs from some of the live videos we fed to our Official Cre8Music Facebook Page.  But we'll be uploading the official gig videos soon on a much more clearer video quality. So hit the like/follow button and wait for the videos to go live. It will be all worth the wait. 

And one last thing, we'd really appreciate it if you guys could support our start up label. We are not a huge Record Label like others would like to think. And we could never afford the payola rates that we are seeing. We were flabbergasted with what we saw. I guess, we operate in a much more different world now. But one thing is for sure, Music is freely flowing right now. And if you can add all of our artists' songs on your playlists, then we'd really very much appreciate it. It is already a huge help to us. This is just the First Phase. We are looking to launch the Christian Music side of things. With God's provision.

Spotify Links to our Artists:

ForSomeReason: https://open.spotify.com/artist/27BtAbkIvwSHA3qXh4phPE?si=poDFf51vTl2kXJe0cwirIw

Nico Frayn: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0TI5gtQuKb7EYJw8X7GAGs?si=f0pebLQ5RuWxHoXbEI9GYw

Rockalyt: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5xgt1VKuDivxLnrTg8J8wk?si=NwHsAdhUSOaqC1VZ5R3hVw

Nadj Zablan: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1YXV92olK46f6XwGhjCW7Z?si=bMAcdFMiQpCI4q9QcCevAQ

Jonah Agas: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5F7cwhANPXcte982MjDVF9?si=bmA1N7jJTzCWMWNYfFgqVQ

Dud Lemon: https://open.spotify.com/artist/73P2wi3NS2g0vhuVF71vaH?si=gjak1I4GQXuqFrMCLMYaqA

Namfi Fernandez: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3nBf4tFooa4q0P1E346mQx?si=EuUoDq3yQpG5c8YcQh7xlg

The inside story of Iglap and our collaboration with Novelista Pasta

 

So, we've just recently released our new/old song "Iglap" with Novelista Pasta on the Digital Music streaming platforms. Why New/Old? Because the song is actually an old collaboration with Novelista Pasta. And as I was organizing our back catalogue and all the songs that I have written; I've decided to track down this old track if its original file was still around. Good thing Jhapoy Perez (the vocalist) still had them around. And not only this song, but their entire EP as well. So, I'm scheduling their EP release as well before the year ends. This will cement Novelista Pasta's place in the Digital Music space.

But who is Novelista Pasta? And how are they related to our band, Thoughts And Notions?

I always considered Novelista Pasta and our band as a Brother-Sister band. Simply because we both shared the same guitarist and drummer. Novelista Pasta is composed of Jhapoy Perez on vocals, John Erickson Gloria on Guitars, Adam Datoy on Bass, and Adonis Berongoy on Drums. Both Gloria and Berongoy were part of our band's sophomore album, contributing two songs (Cloudy Day, Beloved Savior) as the lead songwriters, and collaborations with me on three songs (Arise, Safer in My Heart, Stronger, Higher, Further). So, the connection was always there. Though our band existed first, Novelista Pasta became a side project for a time when Gloria and Berongoy decided to explore forming a band with a male vocalist. It wasn't a problem for me as I totally respect the artistic freedom and creative space of the musicians working with me. So, in a way, I took Novelista Pasta under my wing by bringing them along in gigs that I was able to book for my own band. In fact, both of our bands once made it to the Regional Finals held in Davao City for the Nescafe Soundskool Band competitions. But our band lost to them in the Regionals, paving the way for Novelista Pasta to make it to the Grand Finals held in Manila. This win would give Novelista Pasta an opportunity of a lifetime. As prior to the Grand Finals, Rivermaya was assigned to mentor them. 

We have always been a great fan of the OPM Rock Icon Rivermaya. And I'm sure it was an honor for the guys of Novelista Pasta to be mentored by a band that they look up to. For sure they were able to pick their brains on that 3-day event in Boracay. And although they did not end up as the Grand winner, the experience and learnings alone were a valuable tool for them to be able to start writing songs for their EP. But for that process, I wasn't part of it, except for the song Iglap. At the height of Novelista Pasta's band days, my own band took a hiatus. You could probably say a passing of the torch if you may call it that. But during my own band's hiatus, I still correspond with Adonis. And I remember that in the process of recording their EP, he asked me if I have any lyrics lying around that they could use. And since Novelista Pasta's songs are mostly in Filipino, I had to dust up my command of the language and wrote just my second Filipino Lyrics (the first one was an Ethnic environmental sounding track, Pagsapit ng Panahon).  

Iglap however is a non-Christian themed song. I also had to explore the other side of my songwriting capabilities as I rested Thoughts And Notions during that time and decided to write something that would fit in with what Novelista Pasta sings. Hence, Iglap came to be. But let me go back to what I earlier said about the band being mentored by Rivermaya? Iglap was actually inspired by Rivermaya's own hit song Kisapmata. Iglap in the English vernacular is translated as "in a flash" while Kisapmata is translated as "blink of an eye." It was a conscious effort by me to pay tribute to the band that I idolized the most in the Philipine Music scene. I guess, that is the only way I could express my gratitude and pleasure for all the great music that Rivermaya has brought in for me on a personal level. And knowing that these guys were mentored by Rivermaya, I guess that's the closest that I could ever be in terms of writing/collaborating with Rivermaya. So Iglap is written like your typical love song with unrequited love themes that seems to be a usual hit with the Filipino audience. We call that "hugot" in the local vernacular. Which also perfectly fits with what these guys from Novelista Pasta were writing for their EP.

So. there you have it. The back story of Iglap, and how my band Thoughts And Notions and Novelista Pasta's collaboration came about. This is the last song from my old back catalogue of songs that I have written. And it is finally organized in one profile where you can all access 23 of our songs with my band that I have either co-written or helped produce. Oh and before I end, if you are wondering whatever happened to Novelista Pasta now, they are still very much active. Though they have taken a different band name, calling themselves O-I-C now with a new vocalist. But from what I have been told, Novelista Pasta and Jhapoy Perez is just hibernating for the moment. A come back is still possible, But while waiting for it to happen, their EP will suffice. Announcements are coming soon once the EP is released before the year ends. 

Some Links to Consider:

Access to Iglap across major Digital Music Streaming Platforms:

https://bfan.link/iglap

Thoughts And Notions Full Song Catalogue on Spotify and Youtube

Spotify: 

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6i9X1vKsBAUjGqFPmRWXgy?si=QkTsdXk7RgWu_L3csMS2iQ

YouTube:

 totsandnotions - YouTube

Follow us on Facebook:

Thoughts And Notions | Facebook

We've finally breached 500K Streams on Spotify!

About this month last year, we started our Digital Music Journey. Thanks to Mark Escueta of Rivermaya, he was very instrumental in encouraging me to re-start my songwriting hobby. He basically paved the way for me to pursue this once lost passion of mine. Who would have thought that one of the members of your all-time favorite OPM band would also be the one who would encourage you to pursue music. It is not a privilege that a lot of struggling musicians have. So I’ve decided to pay it forward. And Ralf Gonzales’ patience to guide me has also been instrumental in the initial steps to find a home and a trusted Digital Music Partner. To be given this much trust and confidence to have a 3-year contract with my Digital Music Distributor is also an added fuel for me to make use of the 3-year period in the best possible way that I could. 

When I began my Digital Music Journey, the road ahead looked very daunting. The initial question was, “How can I reach 1,000 listeners/streams?” But then Nilo Quitoriano of Southrace (one of CDO’s veteran Legendary Rock Bands), reached out to me and volunteered to learn this Digital Music Journey with me. And we had a lot of sacrifices as well as research to get to know how this thing works. Not to count the Missteps along the way until we finally figured it out. Oh not to mention John Paul Gallego Derequito of Eggmen Productions and Bloodflowers Band (vote for them in the current PMPC Star Awards), who paved the way to bring our songs truly global. We understood that with Digital Music, there are no more boundaries. You have a world out there waiting for your song to be discovered.

Fast forward to today, in one year’s time (less than a few days to a year to be exact), we’ve finally made it to half a million streams. I know this is not much. As big time artists can easily make it in less than a day. But for some Indie Band from a small city in Mindanao, this is an accomplishment that we are truly proud of. Specially with the thought that we’ve been out of the music scene for more than 10 years. The comeback and the rebirth in the digital music space has been a liberating experience for us. Because right now, the world is our audience. And the quest to connect to the right audience has been the key goal now. Music is now free to listen to. All you need is an internet connection and you are set to go. Though that doesn't mean that we are forgetting our roots. Of course to be recognized and acknowledged in your home country is also one of the things that we are working on. But it won't be that easy specially if you don't have the budget for marketing. But hey, it didn't stop us before. So we'll just have to grind it out again.

I am forever grateful to the people who had continued to join this cause with me from the beginning. Wilbert Raagas Tan, the musical force behind my songs. Thrina Dimaano Escaño, the voice that breathed life to our songs. To the various musicians that joined our cause in the past. Special mention to Adonis Donshox Gomez Berongoy, John Erickson Gloria, Doris Isador Cadayuna Bangot, who were the last incarnation of the band before we went on a long hiatus and key contributors to our second album. Of course, John Fernandez, Tim Andrew Marquez, Alvin Carreon, Nelson Jr Dychauco. They were the first reincarnation of the band that brought our songs live. Our recent collaborators, Kai Huyno and Jhapoy Perez, it was a pleasure to work with them, breathing new life to our songs. Lester, Hazel M. Lim, and Chevy Lim should also be mentioned for providing me a huge assist in some of our album artwork as well as album cover model. Chevy has been the lucky Charm as this kid is a proven winner (She's a Top Ranked Archer for our country in her age group in case you don't know). And no wonder our song Runaway Angel has been the Runaway most streamed song so far in our catalogue. And to everyone who continues to support us by listening to our songs. There are just so much of you. Approximately 10k as per Spotify😅

We are just getting started. And I can’t wait to meet new people in this journey. And hopefully to encourage them to join me in my cause. The goal to uplift wounded souls by introducing God in their life through the songs that we are writing. Rooted on our faith stories. And testimonies. I know with our current setup that I'll be meeting more artists that we can collaborate with. Thoughts And Notions is just getting bigger. It is no longer a band. For something that started as a Church Fund Raising project. It has transformed to something bigger. And I know these all would not have been possible if it did not have God's blessing and direction. So I'll just have to continue trudging that path. And let him lead me to where our songs would take us.

Here's to the road to a million streams!

Spotify link to our growing music catalogue:

https://open.spotify.com/artist/6i9X1vKsBAUjGqFPmRWXgy...