patintero/habulan/larong kalye (from "debut" shirley docu)

patintero/habulan/larong kalye
from "debut" an ang bandang shirley documentary by kathy gener (shown at out album launch last year)

eto na yun music video nya talaga haha.

of gigs, a doppelganger, so much excelsior and halloween

HELLOOOOOOO00000oooooooo everyone! Our multiply site is alive!

5 things in chronological order:

1. We've been giddly meeting shirley friends the past few gigs so shoutouts to Peso, Mimi (komikon 2009 gig @ megamall) and Meg (Stomp 6 gig @mag:net). Thanks guys!

2. The band had a fun gig na naging roadtrip na naging foodtrip in San Pablo, Laguna last saturday (thanks to Agee Linan of Legarda and Earth Decay for inviting us and The Alvero clan for feeding us hehe). Owel sang with the band after 5 months!!! Sayang though Heidi wasn't able to come with us but we saw billboards of her around haha (doppleganger sya nun congresswoman ng San Pablo hahahaha)

3. Oh how time flies! last Oct 24 was the anniversary of our oh so memorable Scary Debut aka "Themesongs" album launch! Ang bilis ng panahon hehe. Our album is still available in digipack and enevelop versions --- such a nice idea for xmas gifts *wink* *wink* :) :) :)

4.  Everyone in the band has always been a big fan of Owel's solo works and we're excited to annouce that he officially releases an ep titled "So Much Excelsior" and you can download it  HERE for free!

Most days, Manuel Nicolas Alvero sings, plays guitar, jumps around, fights crime, and generates Kirbyesque dots of pure cosmic radiation for Ang Bandang Shirley, Manila’s leading providers of hummable punk fun. Some nights, though, 10 minutes will pass w/ no crime happening. During those 10 minutes, Manuel will park his ship, focus on his breathing, plug into a smaller amp, and record a peaceful, minor-key ditty over a simple loop. After he’s done w/ one ditty, he moves unfussily on to another one. Mebbe this next one has more echo on it, and mebbe his synth’s setting is Water Droplet Into Cave Pool. Mebbe he’ll channel James McNew. Mebbe he’ll let Simon do th singing on this one. Pretty soon, more crimes will happen, and Manuel’s Shirleyphone will ring. “It’s all downhill from here,” he murmurs, which means life is getting harder and harder, or easier and easier. For 10 minutes, we focus on our breathing, prepared for good or evil. Galactus could come calling, but it could be just to say hello.

manuel nicolas alvero - so much excelsior [ep]

1) grand finale (2005)
2) slow dance (2003)
3) so much excelsior (2009)
4) isobel (2005)
5) horoscopic (2004)

lastly,

5.  See you guys this coming halloween! Party with us at Malate Literary Folio's Lilt and the Verve party in Cubao X at 9PM then at Terno Inferno's Halloween Costume Ball in Mag:net Highstreet after!

love,
kathy

Ang Bandang Shirley - Taksil

new Ang Bandang Shirley song!
Attraction! Reaction! // April 17, 2009 // Route 196

August 21-22, 2009

Hello all! Ang Bandang Shirley had a good weekend! (see photos as proof haha)

Friday had us playing to a packed SM Skydome for Ragnarok's Asian Finals Championship 2009 then afterwhich decided to hangout at UP Sunken garden to waste time before our scheduled band practice @ Pinoy Penguin haha!

Then saturday, we played @ 6ug for a UP Underground Music Community gig with Ed Baluyot of Versus as our special spectator! hehe.

We miss you Owel!

See you all next week @ Route 196!

Go!

Hi guys! Thanks sa mga nanood the last few gigs --- special mention kay Ferdie na nameet namin finally sa saguijo terno inferno gig! Hello Ferdie! Sana marami pa kami mameet next time hehe :) Fun yung mga gigs the past two weeks and the band is now regularly playing new songs (Di Na Babalik, Polygonal Graphs and Taksil). They even covered Shout Out Loud's "Tonight I Have to Leave It" last saturday @ Route 196 (w/ super astig outro drumming ni Zig haha!) Anyway...august pa ulit yun next gig so in the meantime check us out at Globe.ph's online magazine Go! We're featured in their music scene section yiheee!

Ang Bandang Shirley : Ang Bandang In Love

>>kathy

Tsuper Duper Cover

FYI: last year, Level Up! commissioned Ang Bandang Shirley to make a Crazy Karter version of our song Tsuper Duper for their video game Crazy Kart (you'll hear the song whenever you choose the Pinas Map) but we've just discovered this now via youtube: Crazy Kart Music Video by Troydaby - Pinas Theme Song (Tsuper Duper) (Cover)

ang galeng!

quiet is the new loud (reprinted themesongs and tsuper duper videos)

Huy! Hello! Sorry! Ang tahimik namin now pero soon after when the dust settles wow! Haha! In the meantime:

1.) Goodnews! New stocks of newly reprinted and repackaged version of "Themesongs" (in envelope type) is now available in all Odyssey, Astrovision/Astroplus, Fullybooked and SM Records Bars.

Hold on to your digipaks kase i think almost soldout na yun versions na yun tas bili din tayo ulit nitong new packaging para masaya! Collector's item!

2.) FYI: last year, Level Up! commissioned Ang Bandang Shirley to make a Crazy Karter version of our song Tsuper Duper for their video game Crazy Kart (you'll hear the song whenever you choose the Pinas Map) but we've just discovered these youtube wonders now: ANG AASTIG!

TSUPER DUPER CHIPMUNKS VERSION
CRAZY KART PINAS PH: PINAS MAP (tsuper duper as themesong)

AND FTW!



>>kathy

in the zone

Hello everyone, it's Kathy!

Sorry for the late updates but i'm making up for it by being scanner happy! haha. Check out the photos section! I just uploaded some of the our magazine appearances (sosi haha) including the recent one which was a review of "Themesongs" in Pulp magazine aka Pulp Times - March 2009 issue! Nakakalambot ng cheeks (haha iz my newly acquired phrase from Los-udd!) to be compared with Arcade Fire's Funeral and Death Cab for Cutie's Transatlanticism (whoa) --- I'm too lazy to write it here so i scanned it instead haha! Thanks Mr. Jason Caballa for the kind, kind words :)

And oh! in the spirit of me being in the zone of updating: I also uploaded (in the music section) our fun-filled-sando-day Brewrats guesting 2 weeks ago. Enjoy!

p.s. just wanted to greet my co-arian race bandmates haha: belated happy birthday, Selena! and advance happy birthday Joe and Zig!

Scanner Happy

nakita kita... sa isang magazine...haha

themesongs track 10

"xmas lights" signified a lot of firsts for shirley. before this track was conceived, we were basically just playing gigs and practicing new songs from owel, ean and jing, trying to coalesce as a new lineup and figuring out our sound. but any thoughts of "album" and "making it big" had been far away from what we were focused on at the time, which was just to stay alive and keep playing. it was only when owel brought up the fact that sir toti dalmacion had offered us a slot in jam 88.3's upcoming christmas album that we considered the challenge of putting ourselves "out there" in terms of publication.

i think owel had a clear vision even then that he wanted shirley to go far, but most of us were going about this recording thing tentatively. he had a riff, though, and we all fell in love with it immediately when he played it for us during practice. we jammed some more to get the drum tracks pat, but it was still largely unfinished and the deadline was looming.

then there was the problem of finding the right recording studio. although most of us had day jobs, almost half were still studying, so we didn't have much of a budget. up dharma down's bassist, paul yap, recommended the fledgling Love One Another Studio, run by boy elroy guitarist joey santos. we decided to check them out and found instant chemistry with the studio's staff (plus, the name is just so shirley).

so zig puts his amazing drum skills to work, to which jing adds a perfect bass line, then owel lays in the guitars and that lovely, lovely riff. earlier, we'd all agreed that we didn't want to do a straightforward Christmas track. so owel penned a few sad lines, injecting some subtle verbal hints of Christmas ("disyembre", "regalo" and "kumukutikutitap") here and there -- and we had our Christmas track for all seasons!

the song was mostly constructed in the studio, adding the elements one by one. i remember one recording session where heidi was adding her synth parts and there was this one particular note that underwent a particular effect that sounded borderline noisy but just perfectly capped off the bridge part ("itong regalong bubuksaaaaan" TWENNGGGG!). we didn't have the melody until it was time for us to lay in the vocal parts, and i was quaking in my shoes for the dreaded moment when i'd have to sing because i had no idea how to make melodies. this sounds stupid, since i'd done okay in the four months or so since i'd officially joined shirley, but we had existing melodies for those songs to which i only had to listen a few times before i could add my harmonies. the process for "xmas lights", on the other hand, was entirely new and frightening for me.

at the time, i was scared that owel would one day find a reason to kick me out of the band since backup singers have always been found throughout history to be dispensible. so i told myself before my vocal take, "suck it in, selena. it's make or break time," and steeled myself for the recording process. but joey and owel were very supportive when it was my turn to sing, and they never tired of giving me time to practice my harmonies, repeating the track whenever i felt like i hadn't gotten it yet, so that it ended up being an effortless session after all. owel was pleased, and i was amazed to discover that i could actually be musically creative.

after recording the song, we realized that we had enjoyed working with Love One Another so much that we wanted to continue working with them and we resolved to start making our first full-length album ASAP.

shirley during mixing of 'xmas lights', november '06

jam 88.3 accepted "xmas lights" and included it in their compilation, as well as played the track during the christmas season of 2006. but shirley friends continue to request the song even during the rest of the year, so i guess it was able to transcend owel's description of it at gigs, "a seasonal longing song reminiscent of 'pasko na sinta ko'."

- selena

Ang Bandang Shirley on Pulp Magazine

Hellewwww everyone! check out this month's issue of Pulp Magazine (issue #98 February 2009) the one with Basti Artadi and Jett Pangan as coverboys coz we're in it! haha



8 pages of Ang Bandang Shirley's oral history as written by Mr. Jason Caballa :) Buy your copies shirley friends for it is going to be the future almanac of shirley trivias haha!

p.s. There's also an article about us in Fudge Magazine (Watchmen cover) and our album cover for "themesongs" was tagged as one of 2008's best in this month's UNO Magazine (with Dylan on th cover) hehe :*)

Supreme Mood Music Playlist

Hello! Hello!

Just wanted to share this: Ang Bandang Shirley's Supreme Mood Music Playlist (the soundtrack of our lives) which came out last saturday (February 14, 2009 -- belated happy birthday Atty Jing! ) for The Philippine Star's Supreme section :)

When Selena wakes up, she listens to..."Regret" by New Order
The song that Jing sings in the shower is... "It's 5" by Architecture In Helsinki
While having breakfast, the song Zig is humming to is... "Mushaboom" by Feist
In the car, on Heidi's way to work, the radio is playing..."Disconnection Notice" by Pupil
At school, Owel's mind is tuned to..."Where You Go, I Go Too" by Lindstrøm
On lunch break, Joe can hear..."Cantaloop (flip fantasia)" by Us3
Back at work, Kathy's motivational soundtrack is..."Windsurfing Nation" by Broken Social Scene
Merienda time, Zig grooves to..."Satan said Dance" by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
After 5, the best chillout tune for Selena is..."I Don't Know What I Can Save You From" by Kings of Convenience
Ean's dinner tastes better with the sound of..."The Spell You're Under" by Versus
To get the night started, Owel plays..."An Eluardian Instance" by of Montreal
To get in a party mood, Jing plays DJ to the sound of... "Bottom Line" by Big Audio Dynamite
Kathy embarks on a sweet dream journey listening to..."I Start to Melt" by Peter Bjorn and John

>>kathyg

ang bandang shirley & crazy kart

i think you we're all wondering why we're giving away crazy kart installers during our album launch last year? well this is the reason why! haha

PHILIPPINE LANDMARKS IN CRAZY KART ADDED (ARTICLE HERE)

...."Another element in the game is the addition of an original Filipino song entitled “Crazy Karter Sweet Lover” performed by Ang Bandang Shirley..."

ang bandang shirley on Imagine Magazine Issue 3

Gondry-esque photo by Aldwin Aspillera with a fun article about us bordering on food & eating (haha ang galeng!) by Luis Katigbak + photo art spread inspired by "Kagabi nanaginip si morrissey na may nagmamahal sa kanya".



Thanks imagine magazine!

here's an excerpt:

Ang Bandang Shirley's first album, Themesongs, serves up tasty guitar lines, delicious harmonies, crunchy drumming and melodies that melt on your tongue. Oh, and the lyrics are sometimes tart, sometimes sweet, often nutty. If it sounds like i've got food on the brain, that's not so strange -- after all, so does the band. "We're all healthy eaters", singer Selena Salang declares. It's funny that a band whose songs are often light and fun should be so literally heavy. As guitarist Ean Aguila says, "Kung marinig mo kami, 'di mo iisipin, pero 'pag nakita mo kami, mare-realize mo na -- mahilig kami kumain. Bonding namin, pagkain. Before a gig, kain, after a gig, kain. Walang gig, kain". Lead singer Owel Alvero wrote on their site, "You have no idea how common a phenomenon hunger tantrums are to this band. We want food now, haha!"...

ang bandang shirley on tim yap's 29 people to watch out for in 2009!

SUPREME SHIRLEY ARTICLE

never in my wildest dreams would we be found discussed in the same article as anne curtis, sarah geronimo, and john lloyd! many many thanks to DJ Benjo Marquez for the kind words! happy new year everybody!

-owel

A special moment in 2008

Here's a little surprise we cooked up during our Album Launch last October 25, 2008. Keep watching, keep watching :D That's Zig singing the last "call I'll never get."

Thanks to Youtube user blackendgray for recording this special moment. Happy new year, Shirley friends!

- Selena

Best of local music in 2008

and our debut album "Themesongs" is on the list! :)

SHIRLEY MANILA TIMES ARTICLE

"2. Themesongs by Ang Bandang Shirley and Bring Your Friends by Ciudad —Geeks do cry and when they do, they do it so eloquently that they can express their sentiments in a 3 to 4 minute song in a way you can relate to the best blog you’ve ever read."

thanks Cris O. Ramos Jr! :)

QLE Awards Night

Start:	Dec 10, '08 6:00p
Location:	Route 196, Katipunan Ave, QC

come on lets join us!

chatting is good

Hello! shirley friends and curious ones, na may usually boring na hapon sa work o kaya walang pasok o kaya meron pero somewhere with internet connection pati friends from abroad! haha...

CHAT TAYO THIS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10! MAY LIVE CHAT KAMI SA YEHEY.COM! FROM 3-5PM

PUNTA KAYO DITO: http://www.yehey.com/chat/

Makipagkulitan or manghingi ng advice or magtanong ng personal questions haha. Masaya to! Witty kami most especially when spontaneous haha. Please chat nyo kami haha we're afraid of empty chatrooms :s

huwag matulog ng busog,
Kathy

ang bandang shirley hits baguio city

ang bandang shirley was graciously given the chance to play in the city of pines with paramita for SM Baguio and Pizza Hut's 5th anniversary last november 22, 2008. our very own joe "anak ng baguio" fontanilla welcomed us into his home, where his mom had lovingly prepared us a sumptuous lunch.

at the gig, we got to meet some plucky shirley fans who've been trying to help spread the word about us in baguio (we love you guys), and we gratefully signed their cds and took pictures with them. it's too bad we forgot to take our own photos with you guys! thanks for approaching us :)

owel and jing had to go home that same night, but the rest of us crashed at heidi's cabin in camp john hay and stayed for the next two days. we raided O Mai Khan and Vizco's (awww must-eat restaurants), plus did some sidetrips to the ukay and Burnham Park.

WE MISSED YOU KATHY! *HUG*

many thanks to mei bastes, our trusty road manager for the trip :) thanks to terno recordings for getting us the gig. thanks to tita cora fontanilla and ean's tito and tita from good news academy for the warm welcome.

WE'LL BE BACK!

photos from heidi's and selena's cams