Months before Billboard Philippines folded, I was already working from home. That’s the brilliance of online-based companies. You can do your work from anywhere in the world, as long as you have Internet access. I’d find myself in different coffee shops around the area, working from UDD‘s holding room during their concerts, or in the comfort of my bedroom with my laptop on a folding table. Wherever I was, I had to be doing something whether it was work-related or book-related or art-related. But now that BBPH is no more, one spectrum of my daily life was stripped from my to-do lists. My writer-artist self had to step up. It’s difficult to just sit around, wondering when or if HR people will get back to you after you submit your resume to a job opening. It’s maddening to simply stare at the ceiling waiting for the next possible client to stumble upon your email for commission. And I think the craziest thing that’s been bugging me since my day job faded into oblivion is that I don’t know where my next paycheck will be coming from. It’s nerve-wracking. It’s my everyday life. And until I get another day job or […] Continue Reading
Up Dharma Down‘s music has evolved since their debut with Fragmented over a decade ago, cutting through genres, to their latest release “Sigurado” from their forthcoming eponymous record. It becomes a bit of a thinker to consider what bands mirror them, sonically or lyrically. Whether it’s their ability to marry electronic and organic sounds or create hooks that get stuck in your head for days on end, UDD have this unique perspective no other band can seem to muster. Behind each song is an honest writer, letting the world see their vulnerability and their thought process, exposing their inner selves for the art. And although he often lingers along the shadows of the stage and barely says a word for most of their performance, bassist Paul Yap has a lot to say in the songs he writes. With the three full-length offerings UDD have released, Yap has written eleven tracks, including “Lazy Daisy,” “Sugarcoats and Hearbeats,” and “Luna,” and will likely add more to his catalog on their fourth studio album. Here are the 11 songs Yap wrote on every Up Dharma Down album. From their 2006 debut album Fragmented: From Up Dharma Down’s 2008 sophomore album Bipolar: From Capacities, Up Dharma Down’s […] Continue Reading
Carlos Tañada has been working hard, and with the storm raging outside his window, it looks like he’ll have to kick back for the day. The recording session for the new Up Dharma Down album at bassist Paul Yap’s house has been postponed, and between trail biking in the rain or finishing Uncharted 4 on PlayStation, Tañada settles for the latter in his bedroom. There has been a lot of progress on their fourth studio album UDD, so a little me-time is called for. Armi Millare is in the studio recording vocals, three of Ean Mayor’s drum tracks are on file—it’s now up to Tañada and Yap to fill the songs with rhythm. And this time around, there’s nothing but groove popping in Tañada’s head. Up Dharma Down have been around for over ten years, and releasing a self-titled album has finally come to the table. According to Tañada, they also want to establish more to people that they can call the band “UDD” for short. “It gets tiring to explain,” Mayor admits. “Some events just can’t get the name right. It’s Up Dharma Down—not U.P. Dharma Down, Updharma Down, or Up Dharma. So we’re looking at repacking and rebranding […] Continue Reading
