Is Charice Pempengco the new Judy Ann?

Everyone already knows that Charice Empengco is famous. Most of us also have heard her hit song, “Pyramid.” So as Filipinos, we all have to be proud of her. She is a great talent.

She is also one of those talents that, at first, did not get appreciated in her own country (she competed in a song contest but only came in second place when it was quite clear that her vocal pipes “pwnd!” her opponent’s). But once she got discovered and hit it big time overseas, she suddenly gets all the attention of our country.

So that’s good for her but bad for our country that a talent like hers needs to go abroad to be appreciated before her own country realizes what awesome talent she has.

But as good as she is, I have some rather “not-good” observations about her.

Well, first of all I do not like her song “Pyramid.” I know a lot of artists are trying to find new ways to express themselves, so new lyrics have to be found and used. I understand this but I don’t think the “pyramid” lyric works. I know what the song is about but the use of the word feels forced. I just don’t see and feel the “smooth” connection of the lyrics throughout the song. So the “pyramid” lyrics just does not work for me.

Next, I have observed the similarity between Charice and Judy Ann Santos, particularly their mothers. You see, Judy Ann Santos’ mother is that typical stage mom who wants her share of her daughter’s fame.

Case in point, when Judy Ann faces controversies, it is her mother who usually gives interviews. Sometimes, it is her mom who starts the controversy, like the time when she complained (quite emotionally) that she did not know about the engagement of her daughter. The news gained the public’s attention, so Judy Ann Santos’ mother got the attention too. She always finds a way to insert herself into her daughter’s fame.

This is also what is happening now with Charice’s mom, but in a different way. As early as now, Charice’s mother has already inserted herself into her daughter’s fame. Not through controversies, but by recording a song, a duet with her daughter. So Charice and Judy Ann Santos have the same type of mothers: mothers who live the life they wished, but failed to live, through their children.

Another similarity I dare to point out is that, though not a fault of their own (but may be blamed on their moms and their genes) is that I have observed that Charice and Judy Ann Santos both have same big/broad cheeks.

It’s weird, but when I saw Charice in that David Foster concert, she immediately reminded me of the young Judy Ann.

So with such observations, can we conclude that Charice is a new Judy Ann? Not really because they have different career paths. However, if the Judy Ann’s-spotlight-hogging-mom style works for Charice and her mom, then (and I say this with caution) go ahead and keep continuing it. If not, then looks like we are going to have one sad, mad Pempengco mom. (Belated) Happy mothers’ day!

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Musicians, not rock stars

Meeting Ian Zafra was the third time I had the chance to meet some of Cebu’s local rock musicians. The first time was with Insoy Ninal of Missing Filemon, I met Insoy through Clifford Remolador of the Asian Troubadours. Insoy was also my wife’s Cebuano Lit teacher in college.

I had the chance to have a talk long with Insoy about music at Turtle’s Nest and that experience was absolutely fun.

Then the next one was with John Dinopol of Urbandub. John is my good friend Fatima dela Cerna’s boyfriend. Fatima and I go way back in college. I, however, did not have much the time to talk to John because the meet was a reunion between Timay, Carla and me. So the talk was most about our U.P. college days and not about music. But that was still fine.

By the way, if you see John Dinopol, the girl who is with him, the one who looks like Sandra Bullock, that is Timay dela Cerna.

Then the third time I met a local rock musician was that afternoon with meeting with Ian Zafra (who I met through my HS buddy, Butch Reyes), where we had the chance to talk a lot about music and writing blogs.

While I have already met other Cebuano musicians such as Budoy Marabiles, Cocoy of Missing Filemon, Chai Fonacier, Sked Besa, Philip Muana, Gina Pestano, Jay Young and Boobop Nunez, I already knew them before they became famous.

So meeting Insoy N., John D.,and Ian Z. was different because I did not know these guys before and I met them at a time where they were famous.

One thing that I have observed about these 3 guys is that they don’t act like rock stars. I know that they have achieved a lot in the music scene but they did not have the attitude. They were more like musicians, not rock stars. They like to talk a lot about music and did not have any rock star attitudes. They did not hoard all the attention. They also don’t laugh at your questions, no matter how silly they may have sounded, and they also want to hear your ideas. So, on my part it was really good meeting them.

It was Butch Reyes’ explanation also that helped me understand why there is a lack of rock star attitude. Butch R. told me what Ian Z, told him. That on stage it is all a different person you are seeing and then it’s another person off the stage. It is called “stage persona.” This is good.

Though, I won’t lie, I still am waiting to meet some local artist who has some rock star attitude, just for the sake of having an “annoying rock star experience.” However, it is very good to know that even with all the fame, most of our local musicians still are down to earth. It’s refreshing to know that most of these men, who have conquered the stage, still think of themselves more as musicians and not as rock stars.

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Writing for Midweek sessions

I had the chance to meet Ian Zafra of Shiela and the Insects fame last time through my good friend Butch Reyes of SBS-Band fame. They wanted to talk and invite me to write for the Midweek Sessions blog.

Butch R., a long-time friend of mine (we go way back to high school), was the one who discovered and read my blog (this blog) and referred me to Mr. Zafra. They both kind of liked my articles about music and in turn, gave me the invite to write for their blog.

Of course, I was flattered to get the invite because there was Butch who finally liked the way I wrote and then of course, there was Ian who liked my ideas. So this was great.

But even with the invite I still have my doubts about, more like jitters about the whole thing. First of all, I am really not THAT knowledgeable about the Cebu music scene, I’m no authority on the topic. Most of my knowledge about my music comes from listening to a lot of western music. So I thought, if I am really going to be good at writing about the local music scene, I need to do more research about it, which means more visits to The Outpost or Handuraw (which is great).

I even think that Tianos Makabenta (a good friend from college) has more ideas about the local music scene than I do. But unfortunately for us, Tianos is not into writing blogs so maybe someone could write his ideas for him. And maybe that someone could be me.

The second doubt I have is that, am I going to always write about praising the Cebu music scene all the time or can I also give criticisms? From my experience, a lot of artists, especially local ones, usually are not comfortable about being criticized especially when it’s coming from someone unknown like me. But it was Ian Z. who said that criticisms are okay, but it depends on how you present it. Criticisms should also not be personal but objective.

So if even an unknown like me writes it, as long as the point is good, then no one can deny it. The criticism will stand.

So after our talk, I did decide to accept the invite to write for the Midweek Sessions blog, and I already have some two or three ideas on what to write about.

Hope I do get my ideas straightened out so even in my little way, I can help the local music scene flourish.

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Call me old school

If I had a weakness when it comes to music, I would say I am no longer updated about the new music genres right now. I think the emo scene and garage rock were the last genres I had followed. But when I followed these new genres it was not like before when it came to grunge, rap metal and heavy metal where I still would even memorize song titles and names of band members.

But when it comes to these new metal genres I no longer have a clue. Lamb of God, Cradle of Filth, Shadow’s Fall and many other bands are now very foreign to me. That is why I would like to hook up with my metal friend Schuntlester Sotero and get some updates from the guy.

So if new bands with their genres did come, I listen to it but not really that much. I think I am just getting older and not easily get excited about it. But getting called old seems uncool, so just call me old school then.

So along the way which bands excited me still. Most of them were old bands releasing new albums. I was excited when Metallica, Megadeth and Pearl Jam came up with new albums. The new Gun’s n Roses album was a disappointment but still it got my attention. I still have not fully listened to the new Alice in Chains album so I can’t speak much about it.

The Police, Van Halen and Rage Against the Machine reunions were good news. I don’t think they are releasing new albums with new material now. Maybe they fear of ruining their legacy.

Then supergroups got my attention too. I was excited about Audioslave, Velvet Revolver, and Chickenfoot. Most of these bands played heavy rock. Some of their riffs even sounded rock and roll to me. So that was fun.

But Audioslave disbanded which led to the reunion of Rage against the Machine and Soundgarden. Then Velvet Revolver is having problems replacing Scott Weiland. Looks like most supergroups have a shorter band life.

Talking about rock and roll, new bands like The Living Things, The Darkness, Jet and Wolfmother also caught my ear. It was great having new bands playing rock and roll. Jet was great in their first album but they slowed down in their second album.

Wolfmother and The Living Things continues to rock though they really did not get that much mainstream attention that they needed. But still these bands where new rock and rollers and it was good times rocking to their music.

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The Departure of Aleks Ylanan

It was last year that Aleks Ylanan decided to quit our band, Paltik. His reasons were that he would like to focus more on his studies to be a doctor.

His decision was not much of a surprise to me and Intoy Corpin III. Throughout Paltik’s run with Aleks as our guitarist, both Intoy and I have constantly demanded that he improve on his guitar-playing technique, which was, to be honest quite average. As a group, we three decided that if Aleks could commit to doing this, then he might as well leave the band. And this is exactly what happened now, Aleks has finally decided to between med school and developing his guitar skills. Med school won.

Personally, I am not mad at Aleks. I completely understand the man and his reasons for quitting. Being in a band is not for everybody. First of all, you really REALLY have to love being in one; so much that you would willingly sacrifice time and money to pursue it. Assurance of getting money or being appreciated for your music is a very small percentage. So you not only have to sacrifice, the benefits of being recognized is also very less. Being in a band, indeed is a big risk.

Compare that risk to being a doctor. There’s the big and obvious difference. So again, I understand Aleks very well. The man needs to pursue what he really likes and also needs to take care of his future now. The road to being a recognized band is a very risky thing, while the road to being a doctor is a sure, safe thing.

Then another thing, people have different passions. Being in a band, creating original music and performing is a passion that is not for everybody. For me and Intoy, this is and continues to be our passion, while this is no longer the passion of Aleks. And that is just fine. People are different; people change and that is how it is.

The good thing about this event, though, is that we all are happy with our decisions. We are all happy about it. To add to that, Aleks also continues to support the band now. He is still willing to give his original riffs and compositions to us and also attend our concerts. So that’s great.

Aleks may not be part of the band now, but he now becomes one of our greatest fans. Now, isn’t that just awesome?!

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The English Lyrics problem

N.M. Cabangbang

As I have mentioned once before, in order to for a band to get radio airplay in most of the radio stations here in Cebu, bands would need to compose music that is not that loud and with lyrics that are written in English. Of course Bisrock might have challenged the status quo for a while but the fact still remains, local songs with English lyrics from local bands still get most of the radio airplay.

Now such a situation poses a problem to bands because the English language is used by a lot of people. The language has already been used by a lot of artist, poets and other great writers that the combination of words to capture a great lyric or quote will be difficult. That such a pursuit will end up for local bands having cliché lyrics. For other local bands in order to avoid this will copy the lyrical style of their foreign idols which if not done properly will come out as a cheap imitation.

To some local artists, to be seen as the local counterpart of some foreign rock act seems okay just to establish familiarity. This is why we have our own “ Elvis Presley of the Philippines” or “Paris Hilton of the Philippines”. This is also the reason why the the band, Eraserheads have time and time again been compared to the Beatles and why Missing Filemon have been compared to the Eraserheads as well. It establishes familiarity and provides an introduction or an instant understanding for the audience. This is well and good, but the downside to it is that it also limits originality.

Such a downside is especially felt when making lyrics. Because again, a lot of artists, poets and other writers used the English language and if local bands are not careful then they will end up with clichés and not original quotes. Which I believe is happening now.

So how does a local band solve this English lyric problem and avoid being a cliché? Well a trick to this is to rely on our Cebuano culture and look at what makes us different from foreign acts. It is like asking what is the difference between American emo and Cebu emo? What makes their life experiences different from our own life experiences?

Another trick to do this is go look for a unknown foreign rock act and try copying his style and sound. Research is the key here. It is also hoped that the foreign rock act you copied will not become famous in the future so your unique style will not be accused as an imitation all along. Such a situation is what is happening with Christina Aguilera and Lady Gaga.

One last trick is just to ignore the problem and start making music in the vernacular or whatever. The downside to it is that it only limits your radio airplay.

For mediocre bands not planning to make a mark in the local music scene, these questions do not matter. But for those serious artists and bands out there then these questions need to be taken seriously in order to create unique local music and raise the level of the local music scene. Chow!

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Marc Abaya

N. M. Cabangbang

There is this new Clear Shampoo commercial that features Piolo Pascual, Dingdong Dantes and Jericho Rosales. The commercial stated that these three are the big male stars now. This commercial bothered me and also reminded of something way back. Because I was thinking to myself, Jericho Rosales is not exactly at the same level with Piolo Pascual and Dingdong Dantes now. Yeah, he was big then, but not anymore. I think John Loyd Cruz should have been on that commercial not Mr. Rosales. But why was Jericho Rosales there?

Maybe it is because Jericho Rosales has an upcoming television show now. Maybe they are trying to resurrect his acting career. Yeah, I think these are the reasons. But honestly, I could not care less about this commercial. So why I am I being affected by it? Because as I told you before, this commercial reminded me of something. That something was another commercial that was made a long time ago. This commercial was from Red Horse beer.

This specific Red Horse beer commercial featured no male actors but had something better. It featured some of Pinoy rock gods. Among them were the legendary Pepe Smith for Juan Dela Cruz representing classic Pinoy rock, Wolfgang’s Basti Artadi representing Pinoy metal, P.O.T.’s Karl Roy representing Pinoy funk rock, Greyhounds’ Reg Rubio for Pinoy rap/nu metal, Eraserheads’ Ely Buendia for our own alternative rock and last and also the least Kwan’s Marc Abaya representing I don’t know what.

Now, you see this commercial bothers me more than that Clear commercial. Why in God’s damnation, is Marc Abaya on such a commercial featuring an all-star line up of Pinoy rock? Who the heck is he? What has he achieved? Yeah, we all know he has a band. But his band is not that big. It only made two albums and they were not that influential. And think about it, his old band Sandwich is way better now with Raimund Marasigan fronting it. Then to add insult to injury, Marc Abaya is clearly a sell out, as he is now acting. Even becoming Roxanne Guinoo’s love interest in the afternoon drama series on ABS-CBN’s Ligaw na Bulaklak. This guy does not deserve to be on the commercial.

Think about it , Marc Abaya is spoiling this commercial. All of the other featured musicians in this beer commercial came from bands that have greatly influenced the whole of Pinoy rock. I do not know what could have been if we would have never known a Pepe Smith, a Basti Artadi, a Reg Rubio, a Karl Roy and an Ely Buendia. Things would have been different without these people. But as you can see, it would have not mattered if such a band like Kwan would have existed or not because their music did not greatly influence Pinoy Rock.

The Dawn’s Jet Pangan should have been in this commercial instead of him. Razorback’s Kevin Roy should have been in this commercial instead of him. Yano’s Dong Abay, Rico Blanco or Bamboo Mañalac should have been in this commercial instead of him. Even Hale’s Champ Lui Pio could have been in this line up for ushering Pogi Rock.

We could say that maybe these Pinoy rock gods were endorsing other brands when this commercial was created thus disallowing them to appear on the commercial. But could they have not gotten at least one of those guys I just mentioned?

So what gives? Why was Marc Abaya on the line up? Because he has big connections in the industry? Because his parents are part of Philippine cinema’s influential people?

Oh well, what has been done, has been done. But at least I said my piece and corrected the perception that Marc Abaya, by being on this commercial, is supposed to be a Pinoy rock God. Clearly, he is not.

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Pop Stars should be Banned too

N.M. Cabangbang

I was on a meeting with a bunch of college friends for our plans to rebuild the U.P. FASO United team when the joke was introduced. My friend, Tianos Makabenta started talking about the student massacres of America where the t-shirts that were worn by the culprits had the bands Rammstein and Marilyn Manson printed on them. It was Jethro Estimo who then said that it would have been different if the student-killers would have worn Taylor Swift shirts. Then Tianos butted in and asked if the same reaction would be garnered hd the culprits chosen to wear Hannah Montana or Miley Cyrus shirts. We all then started exchanging jokes and laughed about it. If such a concept would have been true, it would have really been different. Even to the point of banning pop singers and all. That would have been fun. No more radio airplay and music videos for these pop clowns. Now, indie musicians would truly reap the benefits if we ban all our pop stars.

But if you really come to think of it, pop stars such as Miley Cyrus, Paris Hilton, or Lindsay Lohan are a negative influence kids these to days. Their influence is just considered to be not that shocking, compared to the cultural “shock standard” we have these days. But the harrowing truth is that these pubescent starlets DO influence the young in terms of sex and drugs. How? We’ll get deeper into that matter in the succeeding paragraphs. My point? The joke about banning pop stars have clout and is truly possible.

Pop stars influence a lot of kids on what to wear, what to think about different issues, how to act and all. Just for example Miley Cyrus, she was 14 years old and she has already posed topless for Vanity Fair magazine. Now what message could that possibly tell the young kids of today, that it is alright to pose nude? What if some young kid wants to take it to the next level and post such pictures on the Internet (which I think is already happening). What if these kids would say, they were influenced by Miley Cyrus? Would radio, Hollywood, MTV ban Miley Cyrus and risk losing all the millions of dollars she rakes in?

Now another thing about these pop stars is seen with the songs they make. Just take a closer look about the themes of the songs these young pop stars make. They all talk about sex, they all talk about love (or the confusion of both), they all talk about fashion and parties. Are these all what they want our young kids to think about? What about issues such as climate change, government corruption, and America’s irresponsible war on terror? Do these issues do not matter to young kids today?

We look around and blame a lot of things why there are many cases of unplanned pregnancy, of abortion, and of rape. But we never point out how these pop stars with their pop songs influence us. The influence of pop music may not be that shocking as students killing each other but pop is very subtle and influences more kids in ways that rock and rap music can only dream about.

I am not saying that rock or rap music is right to sing about violence and sex because all irresponsible musicians irregardless of form or image should share the blame too. But if you want to blame and ban rock or rap music for their songs then let us also lose the double standard. We should also blame and ban pop music for its role too.

Now are we ready to do this? Again, at the risk of losing millions? No way.

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The Four Things

N.M. Cabangbang

It is a privilege and a dream for me to be able to work for a newspaper. Being part of the media industry gives its practitioners the power to influence people. Media is very powerful, and as Spider-man’s uncle Ben once said, “with great power comes great responsibility.” So in accordance with such a very influential quote, I will also use my powers at media responsibly. And I will use my influence mostly to focus and support these four things.

These four things are not given in order, here they are.

First of the four things that I will give my support to is Cebu’s rock music scene. This would involve interviewing bands, band studio owners, radio DJ’s, bar owners and managers, concert organizers and the fans. It would also involve album, band, and events reviews. There is a need for the Cebuano audience to be introduced to and be made aware of their own music scene. And giving the people from Cebu’s music scene a chance to speak out their views and opinions is one way of doing it.

The second of the four things that I will give my support to is the Cebuano art scene. Again, the job entails a lot of interviews and reviews of artists and art events. Aside from that, Cebu’s art scene also has a lot of advocacies that need support; advocacies such as the call for Martino Abellana to become a national artist and also making the Metro Manila Film Festival into a Philippine film festival that is represented by the other regions.

This is another part of Cebu’s culture that needs help. And I will do my part in supporting it.

Third of the four things is to support the Cebuano comic scene. Among the three, this scene is the one that gets less attention and recognition. As we all know, the comic scene in the Philippines does not get that much of its break and support. We may know Mars Ravelo, Whilc Portacio and Carlo J. Caparas, but there still more talented comic artists that this country can be proud of.

There are really a lot of unrecognized comic talents in Cebu and I would like to go out and look for them, so I can give them even a narrow chance to show off their talents.

Last of the four things is to give my support to is sports, especially the sport endeavors that have less recognition. Such sports would involve football, billiards, volleyball, among others. My coverage on sports would involve covering leagues as well as simple school intramurals.

All of these four things not only show my personal interest but I also believe that if given the chance to properly developed, these four things can be a strong part of our Cebuano or Filipino culture. Most of the four things fall under arts and sports and as we all know, arts and sports are a big part in developing and maintaining a strong culture.

Along the way I will talk about other topics such as religion, politics, and dogs. Along the way my four things may also change. That is normal, as the only thing that is permanent, after all, is change.

So this is it, I hope I do well to use responsibly the powers of media.

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Why I Hate Emo

N.M. Cabangbang

One common sign of “aging” is when one tells stories beginning with the phrase “katong sauna” (or “in my time”), which usually means that an “old” person needs to state something that the present generation has forgotten. And this is what is happening to me now, especially when music is the topic. Stories need to be told and retold to remind the younger generation of the history of music. Most, if not all, the young ones these days have forgotten or are completely alien to the music of the previous generations. In fact, there are now just very few people that I can talk to about the music of my growing years without starting with the phrase “katong sauna.”

The last time that happened was when I had an awesome time discussing Glam Metal and the band The Darkness with my good friend Tianos Makabenta. The other time was when I was talking to Insoy Niñal about the evolution of rock from Glam Metal to Grunge.

So as not to sound old or what, I am not going to begin this article with a “katong sauna” phrase. Rather, I am just going to tell my story as it is: to explain why I hate Emo.

Emo, for some of you who do not know yet, is the new Rock genre that the kids of this decade are ardent fans of. Emo rock, according to “Rock scholars,” is mostly characterized by melodic tunes and expressive or confessional lyrics. It broke into the mainstream at the early 2000s and some of its famous bands are Dashboard Confessional and My Chemical Romance. Filipino Emo bands would be Typecast and Chicosci. Compared to pop punk, Emo is a better rock genre.  So why do I hate it?

Before I expound on the answer to that question, let me touch base on a couple of the obvious points why some people dislike Emo.

Well first of all, most non-lovers of Emo hate it for the very same reason the critics hated Glam Metal before: FASHION and IMAGE. A lot of people do not understand the eyeliners, the thick jackets (worn even on a sunny day), and long side-swept bangs. However, if you come to think of it, people fear and hate what they do not understand. This is a natural reaction. In fact, all rock genres in their early years also were hated and misunderstood. Emo is just experiencing what the other genres experienced at their musical infancy. When Poison or Skid Row wore make-up, a lot of people viewed them as distasteful cross-dressers. When Nirvana and Pearl Jam chose to wear their hair short, hard-core rock fans thought that the image was “not rock enough.” Before the wonderful union of rap and metal, respective followers of both genres used to despise each other. But when Rage Against the Machine and Limp Bizkit came into the picture, these warring factions kissed and made up. So that is how it is. So even if I do not get the fascination over Emo fashion, this would not be a completely valid reason for hating them.

I, too, just have come to the conclusion that different generations will always produce new music. No matter how loud their music or farfetched their fashion would be; it does not matter as long as they own it. The youth will always need something to call their own, and for the youth today, they own Emo.

So it is not good for us “older” people, to make fun or pass judgement on Emo. I mean, remember the time when we were the young ones? Our parents and different institutions laughed at us. They criticized us too.

So if it’s not the fashion and style, then do I hate Emo for their musicianship? Hating this genre for their musical abilities may be a valid reason. I mean, it’s no secret that some bands can’t play well enough in live sessions to save their lives. We’ve all been there: on the album, the vocals are flawless. And then here comes that live concert and the vocalist croaks while singing that one song you happen to like. It’s devastating, I tell you.

And how about the lyrics? I’ve heard some people comment that Emo lyrics are too cliché. Heartbreaks, suicides or rejection; a lot of past rock genres have already tackled those. So, Emo’s core theme is nothing new at all.

Before you nod your head in agreement, let me remind you that that a lot of people questioned the talents of Punk rockers back then. Most of Punk rockers were considered to have below-average musicianship, when compared to the dominating hard rock genre back then. For Punk, the seemingly lack of musical skills was a style, not an excuse. Today, however, Punk Rock is one of the most respected genres out there.

And sure, Emo is guilty of having cliché lyrics. I’m talking about  “hearts getting torn into bits” or “the world seems better off without me” shticks. However, let me point out that there are indeed a chosen few in the Emo genre that have good, if not, awesome lyrics. Just try listening to My Chemical Romance or Taking Back Sunday. Their titles and lyrics such as “I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love” or “I’m an addict for dramatics I confuse the two for love” are a proof of lyrical talent. I mean, I wish I came up with those! So my take on this is that, lyrically, the Emo genre has something to offer and the truly talented bands in the genre deliver that.

Moreover, we also need to remember that every rock genre always has a bad apple in the mix. For Glam Rock, Bon Jovi and Def Leppard were the best while their worst were Stryper, White Lion, and Extreme. For Grunge, the top four would be Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, and Nirvana; while the band at the bottom would be Creed.

It is clear then, that all rock genres have their fair share of great bands and bad apples at the same time. It would be very unfair to throw that criticism only to the Emo genre.

Alright, now we’ve established that I do not hate Emo for their image and musicianship. So why do I hate this genre?

Well, I dislike Emo for the reason that it uses the word “Emo” (short for “emotional”) as the name of their genre. It is as if they are the only genre that is expressive or thought-provoking. I mean, c’mon! Emo songs are not the first to sing about feeling. Both Rap and Heavy metal were already venting their angst before these Emo kids hit puberty. Kurt Cobain and Chris Cornell were already dealing with depression, rejection, and suicide in Grunge rock. If the kids of this decade would just have the chance to listen to lyrics that Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, and Rollins Band had to offer, then maybe they would see my point.

All music are expressive and emotional, it is not only Emo that should have that title. “Emo” is a wrong singular label in an industry that thrives on translating feelings and emotions. And I hate the term “Emo” to be exclusive to just one genre because I feel that it discounts the legacy of other musicians.

So yes, I hate Emo because it is called such. But that does not necessarily mean that I will stop listening to the genre, especially to the bands that I happen to respect. I’m here for the music and not the labels. Good music is good music whatever its name is.

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