I love the 80's
On Saturday we're going to Stockton for a birthday party for Laurie's cousin who graduated from high school this year but is only celebrating that till now. Her party is 50's themed and she's actually going to sing and play with the band as she is a talented guitar player and singer. She's asked me if I could play inbetween sets which I happily obliged and when I asked her if she wanted 50's music she said no. I then assumed she would need hip hop and again she said no. She asked me for 80's alternative/new wave. When she said that I had a smile on my face from ear to ear. I am a big fan of "New Wave" of the 80's. When I was part of my deejay group back then I was the one who always had to play the "New Wave" music from Depeche Mode to OMD to Devo to New Order and on and on. I never got so deep into it that I got a Flock of Seagulls haircut but I did wear a flat top with the front long so I could spike it like Howard Jones or Martin Gore. Oh, and no black trenchcoat for me either. The wife wanted to get a poodle skirt for the party but I don't think she found one. I'm going to do a Fonzie impression with the white tee and tight blue jeans. Unfortunately I don't have the motorcycle boots that he had. Maybe I could borrow Lara Guitara's motorcycle boots she used to wear back in the day. What song brings you back to the 80's?
Where my peeps at?
Ok, here's the pot calling the kettle black but what's going on with all the blog slacking? I know you all have lives and have to work for a living but I enjoy curling up with my powerbook and reading some ramblings, mutterings, perspectives, jokes and the like. Miss you guys from way out here in the Double V.
It's Gonna Be a Hot Time in the Town Tonite!
So I've been hanging out with Da Factor the past couple of days on a mission to plan his bachelor party. We've pretty much set it up except for the venue where the ladies will "perform". On Wednesday we found a restaurant in downtown Oakland who is letting us use his place for $100. It's called the Grand Oaks Grill on the corner of Washington and 8th, close to the police station. In talking to the owner, Ken, I asked him if his place would be available for a X-mas party and he obliged as well, so it looks like we can do the Likha party there too, so long as there's a consensus with the group. It really is a nice place, simple, conveniently located with a parking lot across the street and plenty of street parking. We'll open up the restaurant for all of the guests, guys and gals, at about 9:30pm and we'll have it till 1:00am for dancing and just hanging out. Chinatown is just around the corner so afterwards we can get some honey walnut prawns and salt and pepper spareribs. Mmmm Mmmm... So gentlemen, keep the date and time open on your calendar. We plan on getting the guys together at about 7:30pm. We'll also keep you posted on the venue.
Get yur freak on
We went to Down Low for the B-day party of Herna, Randy and Michelle on Saturday night and had a great time. The wife and I don't do much clubbing as you can imagine and the dancing we mostly have is at weddings, a lot of differences. The club played some cool old school as well as some new stuff. It was cool seeing the deejay was using Serato as his laptop was up and the turntables were also real record players, not CDJs. I think if pressed to do it, I could spin at a club considering I have most of the music if not all of the same stuff he had. Maybe there's a club out in Davis that could use a deejay on those late tuesday nights.
We also got our drink on and I have to admit, I know very little about mixed drinks and which ones are the more popular ones. UPSer told me to order a Martini with DiSaronno. The bartender looked at me funny, wanted to know what else I wanted in it and I looked at her like a deer in the headlights. She gave me the drink and said that if she didn't like it, bring it back and she'll fix a new drink. Sure enough, the wife took my Kettle and water from me, I returned the Martini and she gave me a Cosmopolitan instead. Later, I got a Jack and Coke which hit the spot and later we got UPSer to use his deep pockets to buy a round of shots. First it was the Petron shots which went down smooth and a little while later we got him to buy Michelle and us some Chocolate Cake shots. First time I'd had it, in fact, it was the first I'd heard of it.
After all those drinks UPSer was done. He got his groove on but when the club was done, he was too faded to do anymore partying. We couldn't join the afterparty (not his fault) so we went to Nation's and got burgers. With some more great conversation and good food we winded down and then made our way home.
The next day we picked up the boys from my mom's house where they slept and took them to Marine World. As much as I love the place it's just better to go on the weekday in the summer. It was pretty crowded so we didn't get to do much but at least the dolphin and killer whale show was good. We also went to my buddy's house in Green Valley to finally see the house and have dinner with his new wife. We're now thinking of moving towards that way, which is closer to Vallejo and in a really nice neighborhood/community. We'll see.
Just like riding a bicycle
I did a gig today with the group in our backyard city of Fairfield. It was for a 65th birthday and I actually knew some of the people from the party. One was an ex-girlfriend, yikes! Anyways, I did Pandanggo with Oasias and Pitik Mingaw with the wife. One thing I love about gigs like these is you can play to the crowd, especially with Pitik. When the wife dropped her handkerchief I went over to pick it up and did one of those WWE, The Rock, "Smell What the Rock Is Cooking" looks. It was as if I was entranced by the scent of the handkerchief. The crowd ate it up. I'm still a little rusty but at least for gigs I can play it off. In Pandanggo I almost slipped as my pants unfolded past my knees and I sliding all over the stage. I made it through, didn't drop the glass when Jen Poblete put it on my forehead, didn't clank with anyone as we twirled the glasses in the handkerchief and made it out in one piece. I know, some of you are thinking, big deal, you're supposed to do that, but I'll tell ya, when it's been awhile, it's really been awhile. I'm looking forward to doing more gigs and dancing for them as well.
Bayanihan in the Double V
We went to see Bayanihan in our quaint little town of Vacaville this evening and I have to say they were amazing. When you see them in Berkeley this Saturday you'll be proud to see how they represent the Philippines across our own country. I'll admit it was weird seeing some of the dances that we do but with different choreography and a little more stunt-making. And of course the show brought out the dancer in me as well. I clapped whenever I saw something that I knew was difficult and could be appreciated by another dancer/performer. I did that to show them my appreciation as well as educate the crowd that that move or feat was something to be really recognized. I did that a lot tonight. We got to meet some of the dancers after the show and you could see they were really tired and just wanted to sleep. They're staying at the Holiday Inn in Vacaville and have a free day Friday. I have no idea where they plan on hanging out, considering the outlets can't be the only thing they want to do. Oh yeah, UPSer, do yourself a favor and a find a wife out of this bunch =).
Sleeping with the enemy
There's one kind of gig that deejays can make some good money and that is a corporate event and on Tuesday I went out to Chevron's corporate office in Concord for their United Way campaign kickoff. Mrs. Atendido was the organizer for the event so of course who else would she get but Bring That Beat Back. What she did was amazing as Chevron put on their own American Idol event. We provided the audio and the karaoke. This would take place at lunchtime for the whole campus and each singer would represent different groups as their was a total of six.
On Monday we held a run through and I got to hear all of the singers. The first lady sang the "Titanic" song which was ok. She wanted a reverb and I was able to accomodate her since my new Behringer mixer has special effects on it. The next gentleman, the oldest of the group, sang "That's Life" like Frank Sinatra and was very good. He had a strong voice and good hand movements. Another guy, very overweight, sang "My Girl" and was decent. One girl sang "We are Family" and was the only one who could dance and sing at the same time. The last girl sang "I'll Be There" but when she got there she left the notes somewhere else. Yikes! Our last gentleman sang "The Greatest Love of All" and forgot the words. He was like Mr. Randy Watson from the "What's Going Down" episode of "That's My Momma", good and terrible.
On Tuesday, the big day, the event took place in their outdoor area under the bright sun. There is an airport nearby and early we would hear planes fly over so we were hoping that it would settle down closer to lunchtime. As the event took flight of it's own, I experienced slight technical difficulties here and there. A couple of times I would get feedback. When the very first singer came up I couldn't get her song running but it was my fault since I didn't setup the mixer levels properly. As each singer came up we would play the American Idol theme song that I got online. They all did well but it was obvious who the winner was going to be and that was Jack, the Sinatra-style singer. His group put together signs like they do on American Idol, marched around the area yelling for him and and he delivered. I actually think that the "We Are Family" singer was probably the best but you know everyone has a soft spot for older folks who sing Sinatra. There were other performers to fill the time as a guest from United Way came and sang "Wind Beneath My Wings". She was really, really good. When you hear that song at a karaoke bar you're always weary of how they'll get through that last part "... flyyyyyyy... flyyyyyyy... flyyyyyy away...." and she pulled it off and then some. Another girl act sang along to Aretha Franklin's "Respect" in 70's garb, including an Afro wig for the lead singer. The last set of performers lip-sync was to Tina Turner's "Proud Mary" which was pretty good too. Although the background dancers/singers were a little off, the Ike and Tina imitators were decent. One thing though, she had the "Private Dancer" look, more than the "Proud Mary" look and with that wig she actually looked a lot more like Rod Stewart. I don't know if anyone caught that.
Overall a very fun gig with some different challenges. It's the first all-karaoke event I've done. I've had parties where someone or some people was going to sing but there's always dancing involved afterwards. Plus it's hard to monitor people who are walking all over the place with cordless mics and keeping the sound at a decent level. It was really nice to see Mrs. Atendido get a lot of props for her event. There must have been about four different times where she was acknowledged for her work. Hopefully she'll get me other corporate gigs as well. And even though it's gasoline mogul Chevron, it was for a very good cause.
Saturday Night Fever
Saturday before we left for the wedding we went out to the boardwalk and took the boys around. It had been awhile since both the wife and I had been there. We took them out to the water where they went their separate ways. Andres loved the waves, braved the cold and chased the water back and forth. Mio on the other had was scared from the get-go. As soon as he heard the waves crashing he was terrified. He held on for dear life for mommy and daddy. He went back to the beach camp that we set up and played with the sand instead. One thing the beach confirmed to me was my dislike for sand. I've hated it whether it was cleaning it from your toes, in your car or on clothing or towels. I still loving going out there though and being a part of nature again.
We made our way out to Livermore to the Palm Event Center. I had been there previously for a wedding of some friends that we also deejayed so I kind of knew what to expect. The difference was I'd be by myself handling the music and the emceeing. Luckily GCDC was there too and he took care of the video portion which turned out great. The money dance was good, not too long, got in some good old school hits and started off the dancing without a hitch. I have to credit the wedding couple, Nico and Bern, for their generosity of having an open bar. Nico's buddies were no doubt enjoying that and I was able to have a couple of Jack and Cokes also. Eventually the alcohol was evident as person after person kept approaching me with requests: old school, ballroom, hyphy, disco, etc. We kept the dance floor filled, even when I put on some Tango. I found some time to dance with the wife since she hates when I deejay since she kind of loses her dance partner.
Finally got to spin the CDJ1000s and I have to say, they are awesome. As much as I love the Denons and it's spinning top and special effects, the 1000s have the closest feel to vinyl that a cd player can have. I really felt like I was back in the old days of vinyl, especially since we spun so my old school on this night from MC Hammer's "Let's Get It Started" to Salt and Peppa's "Push It", from BBD's "Poison" to Blacksheep's "This or That". I'm looking forward to spinning again. One thing though, my Serato was tripping as it crashed as I loaded the mp3s into it. (GCDC helped me redo my machine with a new OS and several new programs. I'll test it out and see what happens but regardless, the CDJ1000s are the bomb.
We made it back to Santa Cruz by about 12:40am, drank a little more and stayed up till about 4:00am. I understand someone may have been in trouble for what we were talking about and all that we were throwing at him (or her) so I apologize since I was the main instigator. It was funny as hell so I hope that they know it was all in good fun and bad taste. It was memorable and I thank all of our friends for a great weekend.
Traveling man
So Friday we found out last minute that we're able to go out to Santa Cruz for the big birthday shindig for Fifty Normal and Tina-Maan. That meant that after the wife got out of work we'd high-tail it out to the South Bay (even farther than the South Bay). It also meant that I had to load up the van with our luggage as well as the dj gear for the big wedding. I was still putting music together as well as trying to make sure the house was clean. Thankfully the wife sent me an email with all of the things she needed packed whether for her, the boys or just the family as a whole. Remember, we're in Santa Cruz with the beach, we're staying there till Sunday and we're also attending a wedding in between.
After leaving Vacaville I had several trips to make. I had to pick up bamboos for tinikling from some friend's kids in Vallejo who performed it last week. Vincent was going to get them from me for a Likha performance so I left them with my mom for him to pickup . I then made my way to Contra Costa to pickup the family and then proceeded to Drama Queen's house to pickup some gear that Da Factor used for his gig the other weekend. Then we went to the Atendido's to pickup some remaining gear. By then the van was stuffed to the top and the clock was showing 7:30pm. One more stop to Union City to get some cds from my dj buddy, Joe Skizzle, so that my hip hop collection was up to date. At least we were able to stay on the 880 to go straight to 17 and Santa Cruz. We made good time arriving around 10:30pm and chilled with the folks who were able to make it up on Friday as well. We killed the bottle of Black Label we got from the last weekend, let the boys run around with Isaac for a little while and then went to bed. Lots to do the next day.
Thanks for the input
I see that some of you have put in some suggestions for songs, even from other blogs, so thank you! One thing I notice at receptions is the delicate nature of the money dance. You're asking people who have already (hopefully) given a gift to now give actual money (maybe even a check), as another token of generosity to the couple. Not all weddings or cultures do it. Pilipino weddings have generally been a given but I have been to some receptions where it wasn't even considered. The wife and I had a small luncheon reception so we didn't have a money dance. When we actually do have the big ceremony we will have a money dance. But what is scary about the money dance is how much momentum it can take from the reception. I always tell the couple to make sure that the line is moved along briskfully, not disrespectful. After all, they are being generous to them and may have a thing or two to say to them one on one. I've seen them last over an hour and I've seen lines that are longer with females and vice versa. I've also seen lines that take forever to form. Nico and Bern both agree that reception is really for the attendees and I believe that as well. The newlyweds are generally going to have a great time but you've got to think about your guest who are joining you on your special day as well. You want them going home thinking that it was a great reception and that they didn't leave for home early, maybe even leave for a club. In that respect I think we've held our own in keeping the party going and even wanting more at the end. Hope the streak will continue this weekend!
Money dance suggestion?
I'll be at Nico and Bern's wedding this weekend doing my thing. Need some suggestions on some old school slow songs for the money dance. We're talking late eighties/early nineties like Boyz II Men, New Edition, Shai. I've got those covered but I know a lot of you have some of those obscure groups that I'm forgetting. Just need suggestions, not the mp3 (at least I think). This is going to be the first gig I do with my CDJ 1000 MKIIs and I'm looking forward to that. They feel really nice and turntable-like.
Blow wind blow...
The weather here in the Double V (actually, the whole Bay Area) has been strange. Since Monday it's been pretty hot, in the 90s going into the evening. But right now as I type this at midnight, Thursday morning, the wind is blowing like a M----r F----r! I'm sure things are getting knocked down here and there outside. One thing though that these winds do is clean up the skies and gets rid of the smog that the heat and congestion brought. I do hope the winds lighten up, especially in the evening, since it's a little hard to play tennis in this weather. We almost have to pick our poison, play in the heat or play with the wind, hmm...
I remember...
On this 5th anniversary of September 11th, unfortunately, all I did to honor the events is to take a moment of silence. I listened to a lot of talk radio in the morning where most people gave their recollections of that day. Many times you would hear a voice crack or tremble and I myself would get that lump in the throat because it really takes you back to that day and the emotions you felt. I'm a little angry as well because I remember all of the goodwill that was going around for our country and now it's just gone, plain gone. After that day we could have chosen a more responsible and effective path to combat this war on terror but we know what happened. I just pray that my sons, one who was born the next month after September 11th, will be able to live peacefully with their children, without the fear that is so prevalent today.
This one is for my buddy garycruz.com
"Apple has issued a recall on several models of Mac laptops because the battery can overheat and catch fire. Experts say a Mac fire is just like a PC fire, except it's more hip and condescending."
---Conan O'Brien
For the record, I love my Mac and am looking forward to the day I have a 15 or 17 inch Mac Book Pro. I can dream can't I?
Must see TV
This is too funny. Not only for the reaction but if you look at him, he looks like the character Dave Chapelle does when he dresses up in "white-face". Check it out...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2006/09/07/weatherman-freaks-out-on-_n_28912.html
Gettin my serve on
On Monday, the wife, UPSer and myself went to the tennis courts in Vacaville and attempted our return to the court. We can all honestly say it hasn't been since high school since we last did that. But since we're trying to find an activity that will get us in shape and have fun at it we chose tennis. I have to say I really enjoyed it. Although I cannot consistently hit the ball over the net on a return it still feels good to chase after balls left and right. The main problem is the heat which is prominent in the Double V but I think we'll try to do this activity at night. It'll be nice to be outdoors, under the lights and especially out of the house. UPSer also wants to stick with it so we'll probably do some games out in the Hercules/Pinole area as well. So if anyone wants to join us let us know. We're alway looking for other talent, especially the kind that can teach us a thing or two. Make sure you bring good shoes and a nice clean towel.
The storm after the calm
We had a great weekend with friends this weekend. On saturday the wife went to a bachelorette party and tested her mettle against raging rapids while I had a gig for my old high school. I actually knew a couple of the attendees at the party which was cool, again, showing how small Vallejo really is. Also, I'm really getting better at spinning with the Denon decks that we have, especially using the effects like the echo and brake modes. Kinda sucks because my CDJs don't have the echo but at least the mixer I picked up has a ton of effects so I'll practice with those.
At the party at the house, there was a lot of great food. We watched videos of different shows including last weeks matinee and gala shows and our show in Amsterdam for the Filipino community while in the Netherlands. We also looked at pictures from the shows and the trip to Europe. Thanks to all of you who came and contributed. It truly is "the more the merrier". Late at night we did some karaoke with the magic mic that Vincent brought. We tried our best to get scores in the 90s but apparently it's just looking for you to yell into the mic and follow along to the coloring of the words. I now sing in the style of Michael McDonald, formerly of the Doobie Brothers and who is having great success singing old Motown songs. That's only going to be when we do Magic Mic because you need to hold notes long enough to hold your score. If I use my regular singing voice I think it's more in the style of Sinatra. Not saying I sound like him but I try to follow his rhythm of singing as well as his diction or accent.
Today my family stayed home since the wife was a little sick, probably from the rafting and Andres started a fever. He was still able to play around but for the most part he just chilled with us watching tv. I met with my next wedding gig for the 16th. Looking real forward to it since I'm going to be able to play some old school hip hop and not worry too much about the Hyphy Movement. Also, they are good friends of ours and I'm excited to see them start the next chapter in their lives. Good luck you two.
Go Niners! and other events...
We're going to the Niner's game tonight, the final pre-season game and although I know the Niners are not that good (understatement), as a fan you gotta believe. And as much as I really enjoy watching sports on a HDTV, going live is the ultimate HD. I haven't gone to a lot of games in the past couple of years, mainly because having a family changes your priorities (gladly). But I enjoy wearing the red and gold and cheering my team on and so does the rest of our family.
Saturday I'm doing a gig for my old high school's Class of 96 reunion. I put together a playlist on iTunes of the top 100 songs. Unfortunately, the top song was Macarena. It's so weird though because for me music is everything and when I saw the list and started listening to some of the songs old memories came back from 10 years ago. Some things I did notice though, house music was big and Alanis Morisette was bigger. I think it was the start of chic rock. Some of the hip hop was ok, Coolio had a couple of hits. Celine Dion also had some big hits . I think around this time I started drifting away from R&B and listening to more alternative. But I remember back then specifically hearing R Kelly's "You Remind Me of Something" (you know, "you remind me of my jeep...") and thinking, "What the hell has happened to R&B? What the hell is this shit?" Also, that was the year that my Honda Civic was all fixed up, when rice rockets were really getting there legs, two 10s in the hatchback, and there I am listening to La Bouche's "Be My Lover" with UPSer rolling through the city. Eventually the car was stolen, several times actually, and broke my heart. Ah, those were the days...
Sunday we're partying in the Double V with Likha and friends. We're just opening the house up to all so that we can take in what we've accomplished this year and even discuss some of visions for the next year. I'm excited to see everyone's pictures from Europe, especially the ones from France. I look forward to vacationing with the wife in that country someday , hopefully soon. With this party, come one, come all, even those not in the troupe. Have a drink with us, have two. Don't drive home drunk though please. Enjoy the three days off...
