haLf man haLf eLf at Mona Lisa on March 23

April 11, 2010

Howard Mandshein of CitiFM, the performers coordinator at Mona Lisa booked us a gig once again. We usually played a set without full drumkit, but this time we decided to go complete, so that the regulars there would finally hear what we really sound like. It was a good show. Two ladies at the back stood up and danced as if it was the '80s again, when we did our rendition of "I Melt with You" by Modern English. They also expressed their appreciation for our originals particularly "For Her Brilliance." Here's our setlist for the night:

"Somebody" - Depeche Mode

"Butterflies (die in silence)" - original

"I Melt with You" - Modern English

"Unfated Life" - original

"Fireflies (flicker in the night)" - original

"For Her Brilliance" - original

"High School (Life)" - although this is a cover, I regard this as an original since that my former band Half Life Half Death was the first one to deconstruct this song--like The Clash's owning "I Fought the Law."

Thanks also to my cousin Jocelyn Mella-Harder and her husband Wayne for attending and enjoying the gig. Chatting with Wayne, I learned from him that he used to be an avid concertgoer back in the '80s. He saw The Cure in '87 when the band went to Winnipeg.

Next gig of haLf man haLf eLf, April 27, at Riverview Health Centre, the center where I work.

 

haLf man haLf eLf on Canadian TV!

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April 3, 2010

In the mid-'90s in the Philippines, my former band Half Life Half Death was able to guest on TV programs for 10 times. Those were memories that I--and for sure my former bandmates--would cherish for the rest of our lives. It was indeed a rare chance for our band.

I feel lucky that my current band, here in Canada, has been given the chance to guest on local Canadian TV. An acquaintance said that it's not luck--it's hard work and perseverance--because I was the one who really went out there and looked for opportunities and did the necessary steps. In short, my hard work and perseverance paid off.

Sometime in the first week of March, Charina and I went to CitiTV station at The Forks to submit the press kit that I prepared--which included photos of the band, demo CD, video clips of gigs, band profile, and proposal letter. After two weeks without a response, Charina followed up via the phone. She was able to speak with the band coordinator, who booked us right away--March 29 would be the taping.

March 29, 2010, the band with our new sessionist/violinist Christine Mazur went to the station and taped our live performance of two songs--original "For Her Brilliance" and rendition of "High School (Life)." Taping prior us was the Ottawa-based Indie band The Balconies, who did two originals--"Serious Bedtime" and "Giant Squid."

As of this writing, I am yet to know when our performance will be aired on the station's show Breakfast Television on Channel 8.