There is something about being able to play music that really amazes me. Creating melody, rhythm, structure and lyrics seem so simple yet allow us to transcend into a higher plane of euphoria and bliss. Once we hear a familiar song that we can sing along to, our mood just changes instantly, especially at a concert where the crowd sings in unison. If you nail music writing and come up with a hit, then you might be able to command thousands of people under your lead like Freddie Mercury. Or, you can make an entire nation cry like when Coldplay sang the song “Yellow” back in Brazil. Music is such a powerful instrument that can affect our daily lives and how we perceive things.

Music started for me when I saw my brother play the guitar. I was 6 or 8 years old when I took drum lessons. I remember my teacher being so calm, although he would play the drums like crazy while I sit behind him, watching his hand and feet coordination. His neck also had its own moves, whether they were part of the performance or just to make his playing look cooler is something that I still try to figure out up to this day. After a year of playing drums, I started to learn how to play the guitar. Shortly after, playing bass followed suit.

I want to tell you a very cool childhood story that I, to this day, am very proud of. When I first started playing drums, my dad bought me a starter kit. A $300 Fernando drum set in wine red. It wasn’t a bad drum set, but it wasn’t great either. I took care of that kit like a baby as it would get the occasional manicure and pedicure treatment using a metal cleaner and a towel. I did a couple of upgrades on it as well, but one day, it just gave up and called our relationship quits. So, after playing the drums for three or four years, I decided to ask my dad whether he can buy me a brand new, double bass drum kit, with at least 5 toms, complete with brand new cymbals. I was in third grade and had big ambitions when it comes to improving on my skill. My dad asked me how much it would cost, I was bold, didn’t flinch when I told him that it was going to cost a lot. He was in a good mood during that dinner I guess and said, “If you ever be part of your class’ honors list this coming semester, I will give you what you want.” You know what I DID? I took a piece of blank US letter paper and started writing the heading, “My Drum Kit Contract With Dad.” I wrote down the details of our deal and I had him, myself and a couple of my siblings sign it along with the corresponding date. Everybody in the family was a witness over at supper. My mom was laughing hard, saying that “You might regret this, dear.”

Lo and behold, after a couple of months, guess what happened? I went home with a smile on my face that almost cut my ears in half. When my father got back from work I pulled the almost-torn paper contract in front of him and gently unfolded like it was a national treasure from 1600 B.C. My dad could not believe it and he was demanding the contract as null and void at first, but eventually conceded. After a couple of days, we ventured to the mall and window-shopped for my monster drum kit. At first, I was looking at two TAMA Imperialstar drum kits. Both were in blue sparkle (didn’t love the finish), fell in love with the looks and sturdiness of the hardware. And then, we went to another music store that I normally frequent as my go to spot. Over there, I was choosing between a Sonor 7-piece drum set with only one bass drum or a 6-piece Gretsch Catalina Maple in green and a black Gretsch blackhawk 5-piece drum kit. I opted for both of the Gretsch drum sets, loaded it in our Ford Expedition and went home blissfully. To my suprise, after setting them up, I couldn’t play both bass drums the same, it felt different whenever I hit my left foot and my right foot. I didn’t know that different bass drum sizes exist. I thought they were all made the same. What a fool. I didn’t mind the difference in the finishes, but the difference in the bass drum sizes really disappointed me. One was wider than the other and one was longer than the other. I couldn’t do anything but to use my double pedal again. I should have stuck with the TAMA’s.

Well, I got what I wanted and became really good at playing. I started playing to highly technical bands like Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater, Megadeth and Angra. On top of practicing almost every day and angering our neighbors, when I’m done with the drums, I would then turn to practice the guitar. At that time, my gear was an Ibanez RG320 something. It wasn’t bad but it had a cheap floyd rose that would get out of tune after a couple of dive bombs. It was a good practice guitar for sure. I really pushed myself to learn the scales, arpeggios and do sweeping techniques. I had a hard time since I have short fingers. Eventually, I was able to do it smoothly and that solidified my playing “career”. Then I discovered technical solo artists like Jason Becker and Yngwie Malmsteen and tried to play them on the guitar, it was just impossible. I met our neighbors who lived behind our property. Carlo had a small convenience store where my cousins and I hanged out. Next to his home, we met a guy named PJ who played the bass. These guys introduced us to metal and showed us what we were really supposed to be playing. This lasted for a good three years.

I got into high school and started to be more involved in any program or event that will allow me to perform. Do you know how frustrating it is to have talent in a very conservative Chinese- Christian school? It’s like having extra-curricular activities are not even given any importance. I’ve been rejected multiple times by the school to play secular music in-campus. They had the good gear, but they won’t let you use them if it doesn’t involve singing praise to the Lord. In addition, my style of heavy and loud music didn’t seem fitting for our school spirit. Did you know that “My Sacrifice” by Creed is a CCM or Contemporary Christian Music? Can’t play that. What more the Song “To Hell With The Devil” by Stryper, an 80’s heavy metal Christian band who were handing out actual bible books when they play live. The audience get so frustrated about it that they throw the books back to them. How’s that for dedication?

So, I sought some off-school gigs that exposed me to a different playing environment. People couldn’t believe that at such a young age, I was able to play that way I play. I’m not the best, like I always say, but I leave a mark to the people who can witness. I became the head of our praise and worship team at one point but I pursued a different type of music. I felt like showing off and playing Christian music doesn’t really sit well in the eyes of God. I inspired my batchmates to follow suit as well. They started learning how to play the guitar or the drums and other instruments. Although, they didn’t have the “Jack Black” type of attitude or stage presence. They were all too shy and too conservative-a disadvantage of growing up in very strict chinese families. I didn’t think about those things, I just performed the way that I wanted when I’m on stage. It gave me freedom to express myself.

When I reached college, I was introduced to a band. Short story, their lead guitarist stopped showing up to practice sessions and I got in. We were able to record some songs. I forgot to mention that the drummer quit as well shortly before we decided to record our EP. So, during our studio session, I was playing the drums and the lead guitar. It was a fun experience. I didn’t know that recording music needs a lot of meticulous attention. It took me and the vocalist a couple of tries to nail our parts perfectly while our bassist just did it in one shot. You know what’s amazing? Our bassist mentioned that after being in the recording studio for 5 hours, that we had to go home and start with fresh ears the next day. When we came in and sat down the next day to listen to all of our songs again, we begin to hear a lot of mistakes that we couldn’t detect from the previous day. That was eye opening to me.

Another chunky story I want to share is about how I failed at winning the heart of a Korean model in the Philippines. I was in my sophomore or junior year when I started talking to this Korean lady who’s both famous in-campus and in the show business industry. I rarely see anybody talk to her in school, except for her two good friends. I can’t remember how we got started, I think initially, the band and I were discussing how our EP (album) cover should look like. We blurted out some ideas and I told them that “I would really love if this lady can be the face of our EP cover.” I was madly infatuated with this girl and my bandmates were just laughing and kind of semi-agreed to the idea. They said that if I can talk her into doing it, then by all means. So, I set out on my mission. I told our vocalist to start planting the seed in her head and that I would soon follow up with her about the matter. Smart. We shared a class together, so I approached her about the topic and she was kind enough to say yes to it, although the whole thing was not concrete yet. And then, a couple of days later, the professor of the class said that we all need to pair up for a project. He started to go through each student asking them one by one who their partners would be, it got to her turn and she just called me out and asked, “Do you want to do this together?” Of course, I didn’t say no. Well, I was in my prime, full of testosterone and horny that time, kidding. Of course, I said yes. You don’t say no to a blessing.

From then on, we started going out on dates. She would feed me something and say, “Oh my god, I think the people are thinking that you are my younger brother.” What the heck!? That was a weird remark. But the funny thing is that I never really talked to her, let me explain. I got so intimidated because I’m dating a model and at the same time, a dj. She was the sensation of every young Filipino kid who was going through puberty during 2009-2013. And when I say young Filipino dudes who are going through puberty, it means borderline excessive alone time. Plus, at that time, I couldn’t speak English fluently. As a non-native speaker, (back then) I had to translate and think about what I want to say, word for word, in my head, to form a complete sentence. So… our dates became a little bit embarrassing and quiet, for the most part. We would be in the car and not talk. NOT TALK FOR HOURS. What was wrong with me!? She would ask me something and I’ll just answer without allowing the conversation to go somewhere. She would stare at the window on the passenger seat and that’s how our dates went. Although, there were a couple of triumphant moments that made me feel that I had the chance. Well, quite honestly, I had the chance. It’s just that I barely opened my mouth. She was telling me things that signaled, “Hey, I’m not picky, I just need somebody who would understand me and listen to me.” God I was a fool. I remember bringing her home for the first time. My dad and mom were throwing a seniors’ party and people saw her. My grandpa was laughing and smiling like a D.O.M. saying, “That’s my grandson! That’s my grandson right there!” My uncle was saying, “Wow, ok.” And my father’s friend, who eventually became a pastor stared at my Korean friend from her toes all the way to her head and said, “THIS is nice.” like an object. WHAT A GUY.

Well, while in school, I didn’t really hang out with her and that kind of upset her. She eventually dumped me and told me that we are not in anyway creating any connection. The song “Never Say Never” by The Fray was playing in the background while she was telling me all the reasons why we can’t hang out anymore. I was playing a lot of DOTA on my break times as well, so that didn’t help. We ended up having a friend of the vocalist create the album cover for us instead.

So, that’s it folks. Just wanted to document some things that happened in my life that were memorable. As a bonus, I want to leave you with one of our songs from my band’s EP. My band members are going to hate me for this, but whatever. Ciao!

Sin Sanctum

Vocals and Guitar: Pat

Bass: Papa Bear T.

Lead Guitar and Drums: Stan

Thank you Sound Bay Studios!

A Cool Story About How I Got My Dream Drum Kit, Playing The Guitar and My College Band

Teaching A Friend How To Cook

The Reality of Leaving Your Hometown