actually i didn't really know na EMO pala tawag dun sa ganong tugtugan until only recently, when a friend of mine had this prduction that featured one EMO band.
thing is, it was in a semi-residencial area. ok lang sana. they do production there all the time, alternative/accousitc shows, with the amps tuned down to "monitor" level. when this one EMO act did their set, tinodo lahat! amps, guitars, pati hampas sa drums.
the produciton people told them in between songs to tone down a bit, but they wouldn't listen. the only reason the prod people didn't turn off their power was because they (the prod people) didn't want to be rude. the EMO act finished their set, and alam nyo nangyari? the home owners from the place filed a complaint, and hindi na nagpapatugtog dun sa venue on weekend nights from that point on. that time lang nangyari yon, and it was just because of that one group of noisy, inconsiderate, pasaway EMO kids.
my friends from the prod were really upset about it. to think that they've been doing shows on that venue for quite a long time and wala namang naiingayan. and to think that they did that band a favor by giving them a chance to perform, then yun pa ang igaganti.
that is not to generalize or anything, i just shared that with you, kasi that was the time when i learned na EMO pala ang tawag sa brand na yon. it didn't make sense to me pa nga at first, eh. EMO? as in EMOtion? it didn't make sense to me, coz granted there's actual musical value in their brand of music, that there's really creativty involved there, the one thing na hindi ko makita don is emotion. ewan ko ha.
i've listened to a few rock music in my twenty something years of life, and kahit papano naman i know how to recognize emotion in a song. and i'm sure most of you guys do, too. remember listening to nirvana for the first time? kahit di mo naiintindihan yung lyrics, alam mo that emotion is there, and its genuine. hindi pilit.
which is what depresses me a bit about EMO. parang it's a regression. sana kung hindi na tayo dumaan sa grunge, post-grunge, and 90's alternative in general... and for that matter, sana kung wala yung mga classic rock pioneers na mapag-re-referan. but we have. maybe it's just my perception, pero para kasing naging immature.
then again, if you'll look at the age of kids getting into emo, bands and fans alike, mga teens pa lang sila. so i don't think we emo critics should be too harsh on them. these kids are just starting, they don't know any better yet. these emo bands most likely are just the first bands they've ever listened to, or have been in. let's give them a few more years, maybe their tastes will improve. as they say, kanya-kanya lang yan ng preference.
hopefully, this emo-phase doesn't stay for long.
p.s. oh, and an add-on on this:
kaya lang ang problema pag naggayahan na sila-sila mismo. un ung badtrip. for example, hindi naman manipis ung boses mo at hindi ka naman amerikano para mag-"slang" tapos pinipilit mo.. ah.. ibang usapan na yon. POSING na yun.
i know OnL also suddenly acquires british accent on some songs. :p
