REVIEW: KAMONKAMON by MARCUS ADORO
Robin Rivera
6 February 2002
It is late in the academic mid-term period, and my mind is running on fumes from being a college teacher and a Ph.D. student at the same time. Fortunately, I am still in a writing mood, albeit for more personal things. It seemed providential that I received a frantic call from Marcus Adoro last night, saying I just had to come over and hear his latest "thesis". So I paid him a visit and was gifted with a set composed of a cassette, a large sticker, and a rolled up poster all entitled Kamonkamon. We sat down for a couple of hours talking about what he had been up to since we last met (which was upon the completion of Carbonstereoxide in November of 2000). His housemate Dong Abay (who I had dearly missed from the music scene since his self-imposed hibernation in the late 90's, and who I had not seen since he was my student in the mid 90's) showed up later, and we had an invigorating conversation about everything from the music scene to his take on Carbonstereoxide. After we parted, I popped the Kamonkamon cassette into my car stereo (and subsequently to a Walkman that I am listening to as I write this) and began an adventure that has been both refreshing and stimulating. Like the rest of the Eraserheads, Marcus has always had one foot in the mainstream of popular music, and another in the counter-narrative to the same mainstream. His newest effort is no exception. The short (20+ minutes of music, with the same contents for both side A&B) work is an eclectic mix that run the range from field recordings, to short music-bytes , to raw blues-rock, to loop-based electronica dance tracks. It features some cuts completely composed and performed by Marcus, some collaborations (with Joey Smith and Dong Abay, among others), and some works from other artists (e.g. a guy named "Dangwa" ). Noone, not even Marcus is credited on the album, Marcus verbally volunteered all the creative and performing credits. One is inclined to infer from the visual elements (another collaboration, this time with visual artist Arnold Arre) of the packaging that the work revolves around the adventures of a surfer-dog named Kamonkamon (which is not incidentally the name of Marcus' pet canine). On the whole the work can be pretty disparate, prompting the listener to work rather hard to connect the individual "pieces" together. In my mind, this is what makes the work special. I often point out in my college Humanities course that abstraction not something to be feared or dismissed. It is as essential in the art world to get people thinking, as the spoon-feeding of formula pop music is for the mentally weary. It can be demanding on the listener, but is ultimately stimulating because it provides people a chance to exercise their minds. There are aspects of this cassette that may not really be considered unique or groundbreaking. In fact, part of last night's conversation found me, on the one hand giving my classic line that artists have always to look forward and explore areas where few have gone before. But Marcus always brings me back to earth by saying how much he enjoys the rawness and innocence of "forgotten" traditions. This argument is resolved by the remarkably eclectic nature of the cassette. The cultural traditionalist will be enamored by "Sagada"(by singer Dangwa), which is steeped in the traditions of impromptu sari-sari store drinking songs. On the other hand, trendy electronistas will revel at Marcus' mastery of dance music conventions in "Mooncakewalk". Marcus related a story of what happened when he asked to consign Kamonkamon in Nella Sarabia's revered optical shop in the U.P. Shopping Center. He imposed the price of 500 pesos, "take it or leave it", a level far greater than the mainstream commercial product. But without any hesitation, Nella whipped out the money to buy herself one, and asked for more copies to sell. This raises the issue of how much the work is worth in financial terms. While some artists have tried to subvert the music industry by offering their recordings for free, Marcus has gone completely the opposite route by pricing his work more than double the prevailing price of commercial cassettes. Is he crazy, or just greedy? When I asked about the cost of production, Marcus gave me a figure that was much higher than the retail cost of a common commercial cassette, which was believable given the economies of scale. There are only a handful of copies as of now. Marcus also told me he was trying to raise money to buy a surfboard, a hobby he had picked up in his forays up North. After hearing the cassette, I am thinking of "donating" 500 pesos to the cause (even if it was given to me as a gift) if it is indeed going directly to the surfboard. I admit that this argument is subjective, but then I've always been uncomfortable with prevailing system of artistic valuation. If this gesture will keep artists like Marcus happy and productive, so be it. I sincerely doubt if Marcus will make enough money from this work alone to get that surfboard, but knowing Marcus as I do, he'll find other ways of getting what he ultimately wants. I remember clearly how begging, borrowing and negotiating allowed him to acquire the 12-string guitar he desperately wanted in order to complete the now legendary recording of "Wala" and "Pula" from Carbonstereoxide. I don't quite know what getting a surfboard will result in musically, but I'm sure something good will come out of it. For me, this work is an entertaining treasure, and I consider it a privilege for having been gifted with such a wonderful present. It is a welcome relief from everything the music industry has been bombarding me with these past months. Knowing him as I do, I can honestly say that this work has Marcus written all over it. I knew it the minute the tape started playing. There are as many tangible, as well are intangible elements that point unmistakably to him. For those ready to invest enough effort in figuring this album out, they shall be rewarded with a glimpse into what makes Marcus not only invaluable to the Eraserheads, but to music in general. As I said earlier, exploring this work has left me refreshed and stimulated. John Cage once said that music will never be in danger of extinction as long as there is sound. To turn a phrase, amidst threats of the demise of the Philippine music industry due to piracy, plagiarism, economic crisis, and claims of lack or originality and creativity, we really should not fear the death of music as long as people like Marcus and his cohorts, and works like Kamonkamon are around, with or without a surfboard.
kamonkamon album now available in sarabia optical at up shopping center diliman qc.
limited copies only!!!!
