We’re Not Good Enough, We Need To Do More!

That statement in the title was what my pal Gifter told me, which annoyed, irritated, and bothered me to the highest level. I’ve been working so hard to be a better keyboardist, to be a better backup singer, and to be a better musician overall, for this alternative-acoustic duo I’ve made a commitment to.

I’m happy Gifter never had a shortage of appreciation on how great I’ve improved, really. But these past few weeks, there is a statement that he keeps on telling the 2 of us, “We’re not good enough, we need to do more!”

It really frustrates me to hear that despite the hard work we’re doing, he still thinks we’re unworthy of this goal we’re having. Before we get mad at him though, let’s hear him out.

“There are lots of great musicians and singers on Youtube, but only very few got to hear about them.”

Why Gifter has been so adamant in repeating this to me over and over is that during his free time, he does nothing but scout Youtube for “not so famous” music artists. He made a list of those he considered great and super-talented bands that never got the fame and notoriety they deserve.

“Why could it be that ‘this band and that band’ never got truly famous?”

“How come we’ve never heard of them before?”

“What could it be that went wrong as they worked on their music careers?”

These are often the questions that I heard from Gifter. When he asks that over and over, believe me folks it’s really annoying and irritating to the max!

But if I were to think of it, the guy has a point. I realized that the music scene today is extremely competitive. Maybe our boy just wants to attain a “decent-enough success” and let’s be honest, it’s a good thing, right?

Let’s talk about the 4 bands that shaped us

Ben&Ben

It was April 28, 2022, when a Leni Robredo rally took place here in Malaybalay City. We were supposed to have a recording session that time, but me being an insane fan of Ben&Ben, I urged Gifter to come with me to the venue which is only within walking distance from where we live.

So there we were, being drowned in that sea of noise, that was the deafening sound of the screaming crowd. I’ve never been to a concert before, free or otherwise. And to be in a place where people go insane over a very popular band, the event was totally overwhelming for me.

Though the crowd was going gaga, Gifter was noticeably silent. He did clap his hands from time to time, but throughout the show, he just stood totally still and said nothing. He just stared at the stage where ‘the twins’ and the rest of the band performed.

During our walk home, Gifter told me: “I’m not as good-looking nor as smooth-skinned as those guys, what chance do I have of ever becoming famous?”

That gave me a feeling like, “So you mean I don’t look good enough too? Is it about looks now? I thought it’s only about music?” I was only speaking through my mind at that time but it’s one of those moments when I’d say, “I really hate you right now, Gifter.”

Franco and Urbandub

June 15, 2022: an open-field concert is being held on our capitol grounds for the 145th celebration of Araw ng Malaybalay. A couple of local bands were invited and for the main events, Franco and Urbandub were invited to perform.

When we got to the location, a band was already performing. Their songs were really good. They have performed a lot of original songs. I enjoyed their music.

After several minutes, Franco was introduced and the crowd goes wild. The vocalist was very good-looking. He's kinda old-looking but he still has that charismatic vibe to capture the audience's attention.

Franco Reyes was the kind of guy who works out a lot, which makes him truly gorgeous, from my perspective. Gifter then they told me that when he’s in Franco’s age, he would look better, and would be far more gorgeous can you believe the guy’s nerve?

After almost an hour of playing, Urbandub performed next. I can say that their mixing was better compared to Franco's. It was pretty clear. I like how the vocalist engages with the audience and he's expressive while singing.

Their songs weren't familiar to me though because I'm not really into rock but I can see how the crowd enjoyably sang along with the band.

Shades of Native

I’m pretty sure you haven’t heard of this band, they are a local band here in Bukidnon, and they’ve played professionally already. They have a 2-year-old Youtube channel and have released songs on Spotify too.

Let me tell you, Shades of Native is a very excellent band, they have very good songs and the vocalist is very good-looking, as in K-pop level kind of good-looking. Gifter had this itchy question in his mind, Why isn’t this band famous enough?

On that day, and realizing a day later that the band didn’t kick off that much even after 2 years of being so good and talented, Gifter had a huge realization:

“If we do exactly what the other underground bands are doing, then we’d end up exactly like them – still being unrecognized for so many years.”

Since then, our efforts were increased even more because Gifter, the well-driven madman that has become my music partner is so obsessed with becoming a musical icon in the Philippine music scene.

I know you’re wondering what’s the outcome of this exhaustion I’m feeling, but let’s just say it’s a story for another day.

Thanks for reading.

Keep safe everyone!