Awesome Ska-pade (June 24)

Once again, a tiring day but also a Skanking one. I wonder if Ska night is equal to work-out day. My first Awesome Ska-pade, though I did not mention, had me running around the general UP area making some things done, and getting all soaked in the pouring rain, and being stuck in a really, really heavy traffic on my way to Makati in the earlier part of the day. The next one got me traveling from Caloocan to QC to Ortigas to Meycauyan before finally skanking again in Makati. This time, I spent 1/3 of my day traveling from Caloocan to UP to Sto. Domingo Church, and walking from Sto. Domingo Church with fellow anti-GMA marchers to the QC-Manila Rotonda and that's under the scorching sun, then walking and traveling back to UP to pick up some stuffs, then traveling to Timog and walking down to Kolumn Bar to finally do some dancing.

Yep, skanking night has always been preceded by a work out day. Not to mention that dancing ska is a work-out in itself.

Though it's a new venue, the usual PiliSKApinas bands were there for a SKA MAX night: SMB, Out for Lunch, The Usual Suspects and Shuffle Union, plus, the remarkable Skabeche. Also present were the usual Ska City United crowds. Unlike going to rock and alternative gigs, I could easily recognize the familiar faces. Ska City has its following, I wouldn't wonder why the familiar skanormals and skinheads. I have been one of them for the past couple of skankings.

The habitual dancing and frolicking started already. I took some time to rest on a chair already reserved for me by my skamates. We were sitting next to some dread heads' table. Taking a second look at the dread heads, I recognized that they were the Rubadub vocalist and guitarist. When The Usual Suspects were up, we went to the dance floor until it was Shuffle Union. We were to stay there in anticipation of Skabeche but some dancers got a little rowdy. These were people that were not exactly one of our usual crowds. They were doing the ska alright but then they started pushing each other and body slamming we had to back away a little. But then again, the girl on the mic called on an imported ska vocalist from Cebu. I'm so sorry I forgot her name but I got her face clearly pictured on my mind. I'm sure to catch her again in another ska night, though. And so she went up the stage, got the mic and greeted everyone in Cebuano. Then with all enthusiasm, she exclaimed "Come on Eileen!" Like any other ska nights, I grabbed my skamates and took the middle front of the dance floor. This song just always got me on my feet and dance enthusiastically. Like any ska other night, "Come on Eileen" got me excitedly and willingly dancing like no more ska nights would ever follow. Tonight, like any other ska nights, my name was Eileen!


25 June 2005 | 03:50 AM

Awesome Ska-pade (June 04)

Somebody dropped drunk on the floor – a big man on his middle 40s, wearing a white football jersey, denim pants and rubber shoes. The other people in the dance floor, all around his age too, looked at him. One by one, they came near him, forwarded one foot, and teasingly stepped on his beer belly. These feet were all in their boots – the Doc Martens-type with stitches of fat, yellow (in some cases, white) thread on the side of the sole. I believe these were their dancing boots. The other bunch of people who were not wearing boots were the younger ones, mostly my age (early 20s). Most of them were male and wearing all kinds of polo shirts – plain dark colored ones, striped, and checkered – all three buttons closed up to the neck. Two or three of them wore pin-stripe plaid pants, one was wearing a cotton slip-on shoes with chess-board design.

Most of the men, regardless of age, had shaved heads – yes, skinheads. There were only a few women in the dance floor and one of them was me.

I was wearing my salmon pink tank top, my long braided hair with three phatty knattys (haha!) and my tartan corduroy pants. It was pouring really hard when I went to the place, but I was not wearing my rain boots which doubled as dancing boots, or vice versa. These boots are actually kinda like the (if I remember it right) go-go boots of the 70's – the tall leather boots. But it did not matter. I still danced my butt from 11 PM to 3 AM, with all these people who danced really well.

Okay, I will be specific. I danced my butt from 11 PM to 3 AM, with all these people who danced really well. Who danced ska really well. It's CLUB SKA Manila's comeback production last Saturday, a Ska Festival at Heckle and Jeckle Makati.

I was really surprised by the crowd who were there for the festival (the other crowds were there for the billiards and the friggin 80-pesos-per-bottle beer). The ska crowd was really amazing, as I described – outfits, dance moves, hairdo (or lack thereof), and all that jazz. Or should I say, and all that ska? *wink*

All the bands were remarkable – outfits and the whole ensemble – guitarists, bassists, vocalists wearing dark glasses, funky keyboardists and the "horny" men in the "horny section" – trumpets and all.

Okay, imagine a band playing on a small stage, a front-liner crowd of around 15 middle-aged people who all knew each other, wearing their hats and boots, dancing in a small area approximately 2 x 2 meters (only).

Imagine the front-liner crowd of around 15 middle-aged people. (They were the coolest 15 middle-aged people I've seen since the ones who partied at the old TOP 40 Bar in Caloocan). They looked like our moms – with black leather handbag slung on one shoulder while dancing, and our dads – on checkered short-sleeved polo and reading glasses. There were two couples – one pair was dancing ska on a Judge Dread song and the other one was doing a little something like boogie. The others, all men, were swinging their hips and beer belly forward and backward, knees bent, feet kicking. They were all energetic and buoyant, stomping and frolicking around to the beat. Awesome sight, really! I was enjoying the dancing and the sight-seeing as well!

Though I was wearing my ever-reliable 50-peso worth rubber slippers, I still wished I was wearing my boots. I cannot wait for the next ska-pade where I will put my best (dancing) foot forward while another skanormal drops drunk on the dance floor. Needless to say, "not many people can cha-cha-cha, not everybody can do the twist, but everybody can do the ska, it's a dance you can't resist!"


05 June 2005 | 4:10 PM