Spongecola should be charged with murder

Maybe because it is the beginning of the year, but I am so busy these days (primarily because of January 2007 issue of the PJR Reports and updating the site of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility or CMFR) that I was unable to post something new here for the last few days. (Oops, that reminds me: Sorry for the delay in the uploading of the December 2006 issue of the magazine. For those who haven't received or bought a copy of the December issue of the PJR Reports, wait for the online edition -- the issue was a great one, I'll guarantee you that.)

My head is full of serious issues these days -- heck, even during the Christmas break we were so busy with the action suit filed by journalists and media organizations against presidential spouse Mike Arroyo. As you might have known, CMFR is a petitioner to the suit. From the looks of it, 2007 is going to be a busier year for the press. Which means including us. Sigh.

But before I go back to my regular posts on media issues and while I am doing my stories and monitors for the January issue, let me share you something hideous, a travesty If I may claim, to the OPM music industry.

Personally, I do not like this current trend of bands churning out covers of yesteryear's hit songs one after the other (and please, let us rest the case of the pogi-rock bands -- I'm just praying that this fad will fade away for the rest of my lifetime). If there are three babies born every minute in this country, it's like bands are coming out with a new revival every five minutes. I'm exaggerating of course, but band revivals are everywhere -- in the music channels, TV programs, radio stations, in almost every corner of the streets, heck even in this blog. Thanks (or is it no thanks?) to the wildly successful album Kami nAPO Muna - Tribute to APO Hiking Society, now every band in town -- either a new or a top band today -- wants to join the bandwagon.

Of course, this current trend -- of giving new versions to old reliable hit songs -- goes a long way back (The more current ones include mainstream pop/acoustic artists like Regine Valesquez, Paolo Santos, Nina, etcetera etcetera). So, it seems like this fad among bands is going to stay a little longer.

That's fine with me. But if you're in a band who is doing or plans to do revivals, please, please, please: Do not MURDER the song. Do a revival, but please make sure that when you do, you're giving justice to the song. Do not just give your fans crappy covers, hoping that they will not mind the injustice you did to the songs, and that your album will reach double-platinum status just by banking on your band and cover songs' popularity.

Okay, let me make this straight first: I like Spongecola, especially when they came out with the hit songs Lunes, Jeepney, and Gemini. Quite good melodies, I say. The lyrics, great. Compared them with what, the allegedly braggart and the country's previous top band (are they now officially a has-been band?) Hale or that cheating Orange and Lemons crew? Or worse, the overrated and ultimate pa-cute band Cueshe? God, I'll pick Spongecola anytime.

But this is simply hideous. This is an act of murder. APO Hiking Society should sue the band for giving injustice to the song.



Just what happened to you, Spongecola?

Sugarfree also did an APO Hiking Society cover, but it was simply amazing. APO Hiking Society can no longer claim this is their song. It's now Sugarfree's.



And since we're talking about Filipino bands, here's wishing for the full recovery of former Eraserheads frontman Ely Buendia. Sigh. If Eheads were still here, they'd be rocking the town with their music, showing their wannabe successors what music is all about.