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| "There is no coincidence, only the illusion of coincidence." - V for Vendetta
It's amazing how God lets things fall into place the way they do.
So I've been kinda frustrated this week with a musician that my band
has been dealing with. Now... I can take criticism. I went
to art school where every art project was critiqued very thoroughly
sometimes brutally. But when you start acting like you own us,
then I have the right to sound defensive. My band received
criticism of how "all over the place" our music is, and how that's
gonna be our downfall. First of
all....duhhhhhhhhhhhh. As if we didn't know we're all over
the place. We have a jazz song, reggae, rock, r&b, funk,
hip-hop. She said how I shouldn't be singing on top of jazz music
cuz I don't have a jazz voice("Jerzee Til I Die").
Secondly....duhhhhhhhhh. As if i didn't know that either.
Besides, I'm not singing jazz on top of it, I'm singing in my
voice. Marq Romero-stylez yo. (Check out 'Hater of Love' by Andre
3000 of Outkast. The rapper sings on top of a jazz track.)
Don't be so quick to judge missy. Listen to the song first, you
might learn something. Anyway, I'm starting to go off topic and
let my emotions get the best of me. Breathe....
K....
Basically, her point was that being an artist, you have to stick to one
genre. Playing in multiple genres is career suicide. I
totally disagree. I'm not the best at debating or having the
smallest confrontations. So I kept quiet for the most part.
Maybe its cuz she's an R&B/soul artist, and she's musically more
limited than being in rock, or rap where you have more
creativity. This whole week I've just been searching around and
praying for answers on the topic of defending being a multi-genre
band. From what I gathered, her reasonings were that playing
mutlple genres is confusing to audiences and makes it difficult for
record labels to market you. Well fine then, for marketing
purposes, I say stick the label of pop/rock on us if you really really
really really must. But hey, we're still gonna add influences of
reggae, jazz, etc. on top of it. Music shouldn't have any
boundaries. That's the beauty of being an artist. I found
this on a music forum:
"In some ways,
multi-genre artists have certain advantages over artists that are
labeled or defined to a specific style of playing. Primarily,
multi-genre artists can compose music without constraints or the fear
of alienating or abandoning a particular demographic group.
Secondly,
writing is derived more from inspiration rather than a genre specific
formula. Therefore, quality material can be written in various
musical forms, which can attract fans from all walks of life.
Finally, multi-genre artists can be marketed to a diverse audience far greater than any singular-genre artist."
Word. The reason why our diverse fan base is growing is cuz we
mix it up with the genres. We have fans that consist of bboys,
fellow Christians, high school kids, girls who are suckers for a love
song, your mom, etc. Ultimately, its the fans that help bring you
success, not the major labels. Major labels are evil, but thats
another topic.
Sticking multiple genre songs on a CD has been proven successful.
A crazy good example is the multi-Grammy winning "The Love
Below/Speakerboxxx" by Outkast. This groundbreaking cd's got
everything on here!!! First off..."Hey Ya!"; "Happy Valentines
Day!"-FUNK; "Prototype"- R&BishROCK; "Hater of Love"- JAZZ.
Other bands that are multi-genre are QUEEN, BAMBOO, BJORK, SYSTEM OF A
DOWN(Armenian folklore and tribal rhythms, hip hop and gothic) and even Gwen Stefani on her new album has a lil bit of everything.
So I was so glad that God lead me to RESET last night. The one
time I go to RESET in the longest time happens to be an answer to my
debate with genre. There were so many first timers there tonight,
and the majority musicians. They delved in the topic of spiritual
warfare in music for what seemed like over an hour. I just sat
back and took notes. Really interesting insights and things about
rap music that I didn't know. (i.e. rappers use biblical
references, but most of the time its gang related terminology.)
So the discussion went into genre, and someone said being Christian
doesnt mean you have to be labeled as Christian Rock. Instead, be
a Christian who is an Artist. So as far as having to choose a
genre, one shouldn't be limited to a single genre. God created
diversity. Diversity through art and expression is an amazing
thing that we should celebrate. The possiblities are
endless. It all comes down to making quality songs that people
can connect with and enjoy. I know warholsoup still has a lot to
work on and so much potential to grow, so I'm not saying we've found
our sound yet, but we're on the right path. So personally, I'd
forget being labeled as any genre. Label us on your own if you
must. But I'm callin us Artists for the Lord.
Peace.
marq.
PS- Come out Sunday night! (below)
| | |
| Last minute gig guys...
We're doing a 2 song acoustic set at Cafe Vivaldi in the Village opening up for west-coast R&B soulstress Renne Sebastian www.rennesebastian.com. Come show your support! It's FREE! FREE! FREE!!
Cafe Vivaldi
32 Jones Street @ Bleecker
FREE FREE FREE!
And don't forget about
next Sunday!!! Songsalive! Showcase @ the legendary The Bitter End!!
Come show your support!! We have Warholsoup Stickers to give away now!
See....
....yes thats warholsoup in alibata....
And....MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR APRIL 15th! (Saturday) We're playing at
Studio 8 at the Hammerstein Ballroom baby!!! It's tax refund soul
nite!!. RESET bring your SoulLockin on! haha $5!!! We'll be
playing with some talented and well established r&b/pop/soul
artists!
PS...oh..and anyone down to go watch Charlie' in his play HAIR???? holla back!
| | |
| Sooo...My MOM and DAD Read My Blog
So I think I'll be blogging in xanga more than myspace now. Why?
Cuz my parents read my regularly myspace blog!! yea. Am I alone on this
one??? Anybody else know what I'm talkin about?? I think my dad prints
out every blog I post. And my last entry in the Warholsoup blog
was about me falling asleep while driving every day and about getting a
ticket, and some other stuff. http://www.myspace.com/warholsoup
It's okay though. There's a good side to it. They realize how
seriously I'm taking this music thing and how much is being
accomplished. So they seem more supportive than they have been in
the past. They seem more intersted and involved than before which
is cool. i just have to be careful what I write in that
blog.
Warholsoup: Breakin' Out, Making Moves
God is good and keeps the blessings coming for the band.
So much stuff goin on right now, it's amazing. I don't know where
to start.
-
We're taking a giant long-awaited step by finally branching out of the "Filipino" scene March 26th. My drummer Tim and bassist John have been sessioning for an amazing neo-soul/r&b artist Renee Sebastian which has landed us some awesome gigs. They recently attended a workshop where Jerry Lembo
was the guest speaker (worked w/ Columbia Records, Mariah, Maroon 5,
Norah Jones, Janet Jackson, and more). They had a song
critiquing workshop, and guess whose song got the most feedback??? Warholsoup's "Catch Me If You Can!" The
fact that he thought the song was marketable, loved the hook, and that
we definitiely have potential made us feel like we're on the right
path. And this landed us a gig this month at the Songsalive showcase, Sunday, March 26 8pm @ The Bitter End, and
we need you guys to come and show your support!! If we do well and
bring in a good crowd, they might ask us to play at this legendary
venue where Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel, and Curtis Mayfield used to
play at. Best part is that it's FREE!!!plus 2 drink minimum. Guest speaker will be imaging and marketing agent John Battaglia of Rockstar Image. He's shaped the image of Usher, Beyonce, and Jessica Simpson to name a few. This is a big deal and we'd love if you guys came!
- We'll be opening up for Rex Navarette at NJPAC on May 6th which is going to be Ace's bday. We're currently trying to set up a dinner with him
- We're almost done recording "Catch Me If You Can".
- Our last gig, "Warholsouperfriends" received a full page review in the new issue of Filipino Times. You can find it at most Filipino stores, restaurants in NJ, and Colonette Diner in Jersey City.
- Warholsoup is planning on taking our high energy live show to sunny California!!! who wants to come???? Road trip???
- We might have a gig at the popular Hammerstein Ballroom!!! Pray for it!!
- Warholsoup is also working with an independent film "newyorkdating.com". They're looking for songs for the film
Bday Bry:
Happy belated birthday to my "cousin" Bryan East, the locking
legend in the making reppin' ptown, RESET, Biyaya, Culture Shock,
Fr3sh, and everything else for the Lord. keep doin what ur doin
cuz. You've come a long way. He's proud of you. So is
your Lola.
RESET
Miss you guys. So proud of
how far this group has come. It's such a blessing. Sorry
I've missed so many meetings and performances, but I'll be quitting my
job which will give me more free time to come to RESET and perform with
you guys.
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| NOTE: Hey guys
is Marq. Busy as usual w/ band and work, band and work. i missed xanga
so I thought I'd use my bands mass email for this entry. If you
guys aren't on it, just leave a comment with your email so i can add
you to it. Hope to see yall at our show this Friday!!!
Warholsouper Friends!!!
Greetings to all you
Soupheads!!!
This
is Marq here with some really cool announcements (did someone say
Rex Navarette?). So many thanks to everyone who rocked out
with us our last few shows (Club Ole and Fusion Ti). Your support
means so much to us and keeps us motivated to take our music to even
higher places. Did ya hear Apl from the Black Eyed Peas just
started a new record label Jeepney Music, and is looking for Fil-Am
acts to be signed to his label???? Hmmm...cool cool...So lets keep
spreading the news about the band by coming to shows and adding us up
on www.myspace.com/warholsoup. and feel free to FWD this to anyone who may be interested! Thanks! So we
decided to split this email up into sections. We'll be having an
inspirational section in every email so you get a lot more out of it
than just a list of upcoming gigs. SOUPBOWL OF CONTENTS: - Next Gig: Special Show- WARHOLSOUPER FRIENDS (This Friday @Dampa)
- Marq of Warholsoup...Pinoy Pop Superstar???
- Rex Navarette is coming to town
- Inspirational Section: "Proud to be Filipino"
Next Gig: Special Show- WARHOLSOUPER FRIENDS (This Friday 02/17/06 @Dampa) Now
we can assure you that this Friday is not gonna be another
ordinary Fil-Am rock night at Dampa. We hope for this to be
the first of many Warholsouper Friends shows where we share
the spotlight with some of our closest local Fil-Am musician
friends. You guys haven't seen a show like this yet! So bring your
own booze, and hey, maybe we'll invite you'll get your chance to shine
on stage too!!! - WARHOLSOUPER FRIENDS - @ Dampa 533 Westside Ave (cross stret is Clendenny Ave) Jersey City, NJ Time: Show starts at 9pm :: GET THERE EARLY!!! LIMITED SEATING!!! Admission: $5 (plus $10 consumable food/beverage NOTE- B.Y.O.B.) Guests
include: John P. Balingit, Jason Parino (Grim Bottle/ Nosaj
Ent.), Crossing Fingers, and members of Ciello's Rhythm, and more!!!! (Like
our flyers? Need flyers to promote your own events? Well Mr. Ace
"Weeping Panda" Arnejo is not only the guitarist of Warholsoup, but the
master graphic designer behind all our flyers. Holler at us a info@warholsoup.com if you need flyers done)
Marq of Warholsoup...Pinoy Pop Superstar??? So some of you may have heard the news that the GMA-7 show Pinoy Pop Superstar
hosted by Filipina song bird, Regine Velasquez is conducting
a North American talent search. Auditions were held Feb. 4
and 11 in Manhattan. When my cousin asked me to
audition, I kinda laughed at the thought of auditioning for the
American Idol-esque show. If this was 2 years ago, I'd
audition with no hesitation. However, I've happily exchanged my
pop star shoes for the funk-rock-jazz-blues of Warholsoup. Then I had a
second thought, why not use this as a way of promoting
Warholsoup? In a big production like this, I'm bound to run into
some very helpful contacts. (To all you aspiring artists,
that's the key!! NETWORK! NETWORK! NETWORK! and PRACTICE! PRACTICE!
PRACTICE!) So anyway, I auditioned yesterday, and received a
call back, and I made it! Don't worry guys, I'd never even think
of leaving Warholsoup to be a "Pop Superstar". Think about
it...Sing all original inspiring songs of hope, faith, God, and love!
OR Sing cover song after cover song for the rest of my
career? ("How many versions of "Because of You" do we really need?
haha) The East Coast Finals will be held March 4th, 2006.
The winner will compete in the Grand Finals in Hollywood, CA, and from
there compete in the finals at Araneta Coliseum, Philippines in
the summer. more news on that in the upcoming weeks.
Rex Navarette is coming to town
Every Filipino's favorite Filipino comedian is coming to Jersey this
May! That's right, the Bastos Boy himself, Rex Navarette will be coming
to town...and guess who will be opening up for him? That's right!
Warholsoup! Rex and his stand-up act will be hopefully be taking
over NJPAC for two nights, May 5 & 6. (We're still praying
that Event Connexions can close the deal on that venue).
Warholsoup will be playing on the May 6 show with a 15 minute
set. So mark your calendars ahead of time, and show support for
your Filipino artists!
Inspirational Thoughts: "Proud to be Filipino"
Seeing Manny Pacquiao victorious over Erik Morales gave me this
feeling (as i'm sure a lot of you felt it) of how proud we are to be Filipinos. Can you imagine the weight of the Philippines that Manny carries on his back
everytime he steps foot in the ring. I was told by my
cousins that it's some kind of national holiday in the Philippines
when Pacquiao has a fight. There's no work or anything. I
hear the crime rate in the Philippines is at it's lowest on Pacquiao
Fight Night! Haha! So...as everyone in the room is celebrating PacMan's
10th round victory with high fives, embraces, shots of hennesy, etc.,
my eyes are glued to the TV, watching the Filipinos who attended the
fight rejoicing, waving their Filipino flags and banners in the
air. And I thought to myself, "Man, this guy has a tremendous amount of responsibility to the Filipino community and receives so much respect in return."(whether or not he loses, or draws.) And I began to think, all Filipino's have a responsibility to their motherland. Whether you're a doctor, a painter, a teacher, a musician, a dancer, a parent, a boxer, or whatever your calling is in life, you're not only representing yourself, but the Filipino's everywhere. To be the hardest worker you know,
like the way Manny Pacquiao works so hard to be the best Filipino
boxer, is how we should be living our lives. To think that he
came from the slums to acheiving world-known status is a blessing
from God for his hard work and passion. I'm reading this book
right now called "Cure for the Common Life" by Max Lucado, and I
highly reccomend for anyone who is lost right now with what to do in
life. It teaches how to focus the gifts that God gave you to glorify Him whether its to be a teacher, a nurse, a boxer, etc.
So as Warholsoup rocks out on stage for you guys and for the Lord, we
strive to be in the position one day where you'll be cheering for us
the way us Filipinos cheer for Manny Pacquiao. The way Manny can
restore our Filipino pride with one knock-out is how we hope to restore
your faith in God and in our Philippine heritage with one song at a
time. God bless and rock on!
LOOK!! WE GOT BBOYS/BGIRLS ROCKIN TO OUR MUSIC!!! a DREAM COME TRUE!! PRAISE THE LORD!!! WOoooooooooooooT!!!
| | |
| First off, just wanna say...RESET!! awesome job at HaloHaloween!
(Sorry i was blocking you Jay!!) To think it was just me and Jay
last year supplying the music, now this year God blessed us with a full
band!!! Oh happy day!!! (did anyone take any pics of us
performing on stage??? I just ripped these pics off darbz
xanga.) Man, and how good were the other performances yall!
Jay Legaspi(good to see Jaycoustic Legaspi back), Aljay with the dope lockin routine, John Cancio tearin' it up on the
drums, Fast Girls Go...rockin da roof off the place...everyone did a
great job!
RESET PostHalohaloween
Me, Aram, and Ace (can anyone read Ace's shirt? haha I have it in white)
Killing some time...(taken at Stay Lounge for the Hurricane Kat benefit show- 10/14/05.)
Next on the xangagenda(xanga+agenda), if noone is doing anything
this
Saturday night, my band Warholsoup is playing at the Bottlefest Music
Festival in Jersey City, NJ with a bunch of other awesome bands, like
Jing's band, The Grudge(they were named "The Grudge" b4 the movie ever
came out, so dont get confused! The Grudge the movie has a scary girl.
The Grudge the band has a hot girl, "sizzlin' like sisig" ^_- ).
 
......See the difference?? ........hehe
And remember Mark Catarroja? One of the guys I used to sing with in the
Isle 51X days? His band Earplay will be playing as well.
We'll be playing a 6 song set. We're thinkin of skippin the light songs and rockin out staright through.
- Sinner St.
- Girl W/ Da Soul
- Jerzee Til I Die
- Let's Go Paradise
- Catch Me If You Can
- Better Days
Info below on the flyer. It's a haloween show as well. Me
and the guys are all dressing in drag, but i'll be dressing up as a
sexy superheroine. Come watch Saturday to find out! hahaha
Just wanna praise God for just getting me through these last few weeks.
It's been hectic balancing being in 2 bands (warholsoup & reset),
having a girlfriend(thanks for being so understanding and patient),
work(try putting together a 100+ page souvenir journal all by yourself
in 2 weeks), and family duties (i have 2 aunts and one uncle living
with us right now), and my right eyelid has been twitching for the last
few days.
So now I can go back to working on new songs. We're still looking
for a keyboard player if anybody knows of one that fits our criteria
and schedule. Oh and if anyone wants to be on our mailing list
for news and upcoming shows, leave ur email here and i'll gladly ad you
on.
God bless, and rock on!
-marq
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