Prologue:
Sometime last September, the editors at Stargates People Asia magazine ordinarily a lifestyle magazine fixated with the lifestyles of people richer, more beautiful, and more famous than people like you and I decided to do a piece on the Eraserheads.
The issues theme was Where are they now? and buried among the usual socialites and politicians was going to be a couple of music articles - a piece on Basti Artadi (formerly of Wolfgang and Lokomotiv) and one on the Eraserheads. For reasons known only to a blessed few (but mainly known to editor Janine Dario and editorial assistant Stef Juan) they also thought I would be the guy to write the eHeads piece, and they tracked me down through our Talk@Philmusic forum.
So one fine day, I got an e-mail out of the blue from Stef. They had booked a pictorial with Raimund and Buddy in U.P. and managed to track down Marcus at a rare solo gig in Mayrics. They sent feelers to Ely through his partner Dianne for an interview and pictorial but got nowhere. (Ely doesnt want to do Eraserheads interviews anymore, noted Stef.)
Nevertheless, the show must go on, and they needed someone to actually go out and write the profile. So could I do it? And oh by the way - they needed it in a couple of weeks.
Needless to say, I was intrigued, but politely declined. Any where-are-they-now piece on this band would inevitably address the usual breakup questions and the ensuing cold war between Ely and his former compatriots - a freeze largely amplified by a now infamous interview given a few years ago by Dianne Ventura to Pulp magazine, which the three have wisely declined to comment on. Considering the aftershock of that unfortunate bit of pulp journalism which reverberated among local musicians for some time - It would be a bit like venturing into a minefield with only your socks on, and no sane person would ever want to go there. And I certainly didnt want PhilMusic eventually caught in a crossfire.
But eventually (and inexplicably) I said yes, with the condition that I didnt have to bring up the subject of THE BREAKUP, nor did I need to bring up the R word R for Reunion that is. I would talk about the here and now, and it would be a pleasant fluffy lifestyle piece, suitable for parlor reading and polite company.
I made one last-ditch effort to get an interview with Ely, through his co-manager Day Cabuhat. Questions were duly e-mailed and Ely was supposed to go to off to a cybercaf to answer them. But I never got it. Maybe it was the subject matter. Or something. So this piece didnt actually include an interview with the man.
In the end, at least two of the former eheads did manage to answer questions about a possible Reunion. I hesitated to ask. I dont actually want to go there, I said.
No, lets. Lets go there, Buddy assured me. And then he explained that while a reunion was not outside the realm of impossibility, there would be a time for it, and now was definitely not the time.
And so that was the state of affairs in late 2006. In the aftermath of Elys near-fatal heart attack, would they feel differently in 2007?
Ah but lets not go there shall we? That would be like walking into another minefield with only your socks on.
{mospagebreak}
School Days
Its a cloudy Sunday afternoon in the U.P. Diliman campus. On Sundays, the wide, tree-lined avenues are closed to car traffic. A lazy calm pervades, and the roads are filled with joggers, bikers, leaves falling, families strolling, and lovers walking hand in hand, soaking it all up.
On the steps of one of the campus buildings a magazine photo shoot is in progress. The subjects are Raimund Marasigan and Buddy Zabala, one-half of the legendary band known as the Eraserheads. The band is probably as closely associated with the campus as the Oblation. And on this day, the two men both now in their mid 30s, partners and kids in tow - look right at home, revisiting the place where it all began. Old memories are stirred up, re-served hot and fresh.
Raimund and I were always roommates, Buddy tells us. Over at Molave Hall. Thats where we met. Man, that was back in 1988.
Even today, the two remain close. They still collaborate on album production work, they remain bandmates in a group called Cambio, and their young families share out-of-town family vacations on weekends off.
Raimund looks up at the faade of the Engineering building and reminisces about a memorable gig the Eraserheads played here in 1990 with The Dawn, then the biggest band in the land. The concert was called Maskipops and he remembers it was an especially wet and stormy evening.
It was really The Dawns gig. But we got to play. We borrowed some equipment from a band rehearsal studio at the alumni center, and we rushed it to the gig in the middle of this really strong rainstorm. And we were all wearing matching red sweatshirts. Yun ang costume namin!
Recalling their gawky beginnings, Raimund still sounded star-struck. I always wanted to join the Dawn, he says wistfully.
But in 2005, it was Buddy who got the invitation to join the Dawn as their current bassist. He gloats and kids Raimund about it. See, I told you that you should have learned how to play bass.
Glory Days: 1993-2001
OPM historians today will tell you that three influential bands helped define what we refer to as Pinoy Rock. In the 70s the band was Juan de la Cruz. During the 80s, it was The Dawn. And youll find little disagreement that the 90s were shaped by the rise of the Eraserheads.
Vocalist/songwriter Ely Buendia, drummer Raimund Marasigan, bassist Buddy Zabala, and lead guitarist Marcus Adoro met as students at U.P. and eventually formed a band named after a film neither of them had seen Eraserhead by quirky film director David Lynch. Though a cassette demo called Pop-U surfaced as far back as 1989, the band hit its stride after signing with BMG Records. Their debut album UltraElectoMagneticPop, released in 1993, hit Philippine radio with a bang, with hits like Pare Ko and Toyang.
From then on it was a rollercoaster ride, and the band released 8 albums and 2 EPs before the ride ground to a screeching halt in 2001 with the sudden departure of frontman Ely Buendia.
The remaining members tried to soldier on and honor contractual commitments, recruiting female vocalist Kris Gorra (from the femme trio Fatal Posporos) to front the band. Occasionally Ebe Dancel (of Sugar Free) would guest on gigs. But even this edition wasnt fated to last. The band continued its slow fade out until it finally called it quits in 2002 when guitarist Marcus Adoro left the band to concentrate on the more fulfilling past time of going surfing in the waves of La Union.
Fast forward to 2006, and it's clear that five years after the big break-up, the Eraserheads are as popular - if not more so than they ever were during their heyday. The band is credited for ushering the pinoy band explosion of the early 90s. Now that bands are once again white hot, the E-Heads are being re-discovered and practically revered as deities.
A tribute album by various artists (Ultraelectromangneticjam) was flung into the market last year and dominated the sales charts for months. The bands songs remain the soundtrack of the lives of the 90s generation as they grow up and creep towards their late 20s and early 30s. And a new generation too young to remember seeing the band in their prime is turning on to the music.
With all the reverence heaped on them, youd think the Eraserheads had gone down in a blaze of glory. Ely Buendia has been quoted that it was too soon for an E-heads tribute album as they were far from being dead yet.
And hed be right. Because since 2001, each of the four ex-Eraserheads has continued to make music, and are hard at work helping to define the music of the first decade of the 21st century. The story is far from over.
Lets see how each of them are doing.
{mospagebreak}
Raimund Marasigan
As the drummer of the band, Raimund was the guy at the back of the stage, not often seen or noticed. But in the past five years, hes probably been the most visible, as hes stepped out from behind the drum kit to act as a renaissance man of sorts, acting as guitarist, keyboard player, producer, and frontman for a number of musical projects.
The most successful of this is Sandwich, a hard rocking quintet formed back in 1999, now riding a new wave of popularity in the wake of their album Five on the Floor and their infectious hit single Sugod. Seven years later, Raimund now acts as band frontman, a role he had to assume with the departure of Marc Abaya (who now spends most of his time as an MTV VJ) a couple of years ago.
Raimund commands the stage with all the flamboyant authority and swagger of legendary rock frontmen like Mick Jagger and Freddie Mercury. Raimund credits watching local rock singers like Binky Lampano (Deans December), Jack Sikat (Ethnic Faces) and Pepe Smith (Juan de la Cruz) as inspirations for his frontman persona.
And then there are his other bands. In Cambio, he plays drums in a rhythm section that includes Buddy Zabala on bass. With Pedicab, he plays synthesizer. And as his electronica persona Squid 9, hes a deft remixer, a veritable Fat Boy Slim for the pinoyrock set.
Apart from his bands, Raimund is highly respected as an award wining record producer, often working with Buddy as his production partner. If that wasnt enough, he also creates jingles in his home studio, e-mailing the finished works to his clients.
It sounds like a remarkably full plate for any mere mortal, but Raimund claims that hes actually cut back on activities this year, to devote more quality time for his family.
Ive got more free time now. I just bought this BMX bike, he says with all the enthusiasm of a teenager. And I just got into skimboarding while in Boracay for a gig. And every other week we go off to the beach for family vacations.
Family in this case consists of his partner Myrene Academia (a musician herself who plays bass for two bands, Sandwich and Imago) and their precocious six-year old daughter Atari, now a first grader. And yes, she was named after that pioneering video game company.
Raimunds little clan bonds with other rock families on their outings. Theres Buddys family, and the wives and kids of his bandmates and other peers in the rock scene.
After year of juggling musical projects with aplomb, Raimund considers Atari as his most important project ever. And as we see father and daughter having fun riding their bikes down the U.P. campus roads, we agree that while it not the typical rockstar image his fans might cultivate in their heads, its time well spent.
Buddy Zabala
While Raimund cuts down on his workload, Buddy Zabala has ratcheted his up this year. Apart for working by day for busy production house Roadrunner Network, Buddy has been polishing his producer hat by working on back-to-back album production work for a number of hot band albums. This year alone he has produced the albums of Sandwich, Moonstar 88, Imago, Itchyworms, Cambio and co-produced the new Dawn album, where he also plays bass as the newest member of the band.
Its a feather on his cap that after playing bass for one of the most influential bands of the 90s, Buddy ended up playing for the present version of the hottest band of the 80s. The Dawns previous bass player Mon Legaspi suddenly quit, departing for greener pastures in Hong Kong. Guitarist Francis Reyes lost no time in tapping Buddy as a replacement, and a few text messages later, Buddy got the gig. In December 2005, Buddy became the bands latest member.
Its a good fit. People say Buddys melodic approach bass playing is closer to Carlos Balcells, the original bassist, than Mons busy style. As for preparing for the gig, Buddy theorizes hes been practicing for the slot for years. During soundchecks even while with the Eraserheads, he and Raimund would warm up with Dawn riffs as a break from playing the same E-Heads songs every night.
Buddys involvement with The Dawn has also led to a film role. As with all of the members of the band, Buddy did a bit of acting (playing himself) in the indie film Tulad Ng Dati, a fictional film about a real life band. The film emerged with multiple awards in the Cinemalaya film festival, including Best Picture.
Apart from the Dawn, Buddy still finds time to play bass for Cambio, his band with Raimund Marasigan, Kris Gorra, Ebe Dancel, and Diego Mapa. And quite recently, he played bass and Raimund played drums for the debut solo album of the legendary Dong Abay (of Yano fame). It was produced by Robin Rivera, who produced all the Eraserheads albums, and is considered by Buddy to be his mentor.
Like Raimund, family plays an important role in Buddys life. Some years back he finally married his long-time girlfriend Earnest (who spent some time herself as one of the Eraserheads managers). They have a five-year old daughter named Veda, who Buddy says is my biggest fan. She goes off screaming Papa! Papa! whenever she sees me play.
{mospagebreak}
Marcus Adoro
 It always seemed that Marcus Adoro followed his own muse. When the Eraserheads wound down, his first instinct was to go surfing, Buddy reveals. And so Marcus went off to La Union to find the perfect wave, and never looked back.
He just comes down to Manila when there are no waves, continues Buddy. While over here, its gig, gig, gig. Then he gets word that the waves are back, and back he goes.
He just shows up suddenly, cracks Raimund. We see him more often during birthday parties and baptisms of our kids.
Tracking down the man through e-mail, we find him oddly peaceful and content with his choices. Surfing isnt my profession, he writes. I just enjoy being out there and the lifestyle.
Hes even good enough to teach the sport, though his choice of students has been rather selective.
I teach girls with nice asses, but then again who wouldn't, he lets on. I only do it once in a while though. Nakakapagod pala.
All that surfing has turned out to be a motherlode of musical inspiration for Marcus. While in La Union, he cooked up KamonKamon, a combination of a comic book and soundtrack album about the adventures of a surf-happy canine. Marcus claims that BMG records bought the idea back in 2002, but creative differences has meant the project remained in limbo for the time being. Marcus reveals the project will see the light of day as an online work, and will be made available over a web blog hes setting up.
A second project was a pinoy surfing album involving a different character by the name of Surfernando. Three years of sun and surf led to a stockpile of songs about life on the waves. A Surfernando sampler was released independently, titled Belma en Luis. Eventually, Marcus hopes to get these songs recorded on a major label, and hes currently sniffing around for a record deal, and a manager who can dig me.
In the meantime, club goers who are lucky enough to encounter Marcus on stage are treated to a bewildering variety of band names hes cooked up through the years. Apart from Surfernando, there are The Flaming Katols, The Gumamela Band, The Mamones, and Markus Regime. Sometimes, its just Marcus on stage with an acoustic guitar. On other occasions, hes backed up by a full band.
When People Asia encountered him at a solo gig at the legendary rock dive Mayrics, he was billed under the intriguing name Markus Highway.
Im good with wordplay. I like changing names because it's an old rock n roll tradition, Marcus explains. All the old travelling bluesmen used different aliases, and my favorite cool bands do it.
Ely Buendia
The last piece of the Eraserheads puzzle remains to be the enigmatic Ely Buendia. While Raimund, Buddy, and Marcus still get together for projects and good times, the bands old frontman and principal songwriter remains curiously estranged from his former bandmates.
Ely has also been known to draw a curtain around his former life as an E-head. Interviewers are routinely advised certain rules of the game, which is - not to bring up questions about the Eraserheads, their life and the breakup.
The self-imposed isolation hasnt affected his musical creativity one bit. Right after leaving the Eraserheads, Ely put up aptly named The Mongols, a rock quartet that produced the indie album Buddhas Pest. While critically acclaimed, the album received poor distribution under Viva Records. The lackluster support was a far cry from the major label push he received with the Eraserheads.
Better fortune lay ahead by reuniting with his old label BMG, and regrouping his band under a new name, Pupil. Their debut album, Beautiful Machines was accompanied by a major marketing push and videos with better budgets. It also included contributions from his omnipresent partner (and manager) Diane Ventura, who writes and sings on a track of the album.
Coincidentally, the bands album was released roughly around the same time as BMGs Eraserheads tribute project, UltraElectroMagneticJam, a top selling album, with most of the songs written by Buendia. In past interviews, Ely was pretty vocal that he felt it was premature to be given a tribute as his career was far from over.
While he prefers to keep the past at bay, the tribute album does guarantee him a share of the publishing royalties. And based on the scuttlebutt, BMG is planning a second volume of Eraserhead tributes.
As with his former bandmates, the theme of family and children appears to have lent a greater sense of maturity to his art. He has a young son named Eon with Diane Ventura, and a teenage daughter named Una from his first marriage.
Reunion?
No article about the past and the present lives of the Eraserheads can be complete without some speculation of the future. Music fans continue to worship their music. Can they ever hope that the guys let bygones be bygones, and that a reunion will take place sometime? So that fans can see the band together for even one last time?
Not anytime soon, muses Buddy. As far as reunions go, its a relationship thing. It needs time for things to boil over, it needs time for work things out. Its nothing to be rushed.
But they all acknowledge the music will never die. After all, all the bands associated with the former E-heads do play Eraserhead covers. Pupil, Sandwich, Cambio, and even the Dawn, have been known to spring an old chestnut on an unsuspecting crowd. Like Magasin, Alapaap, or Ang Huling El Bimbo.
As long as we can remember the chords, we can still play the old songs, says Buddy.
On that level at least, the fans can be thankful, even as they continue to hope.
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