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“Being an artist means: not numbering and counting, but ripening like a tree, which doesn’t force its sap, and stands confidently in the storms of spring, not afraid that afterwards summer may not come.” – Rainer Maria Rilke
There was a lull in terms of recording and releasing new materials for The Camerawalls in 2011. It was a tough year, and with the ever-changing musical landscape and distribution, we felt it’s better to postpone any plans. Bread and Circuses EP was more like a “chop suey” served during a lengthy cocoon stage of the band. As times changes so do we. The year that passed has tested our adaptability to changes.
2011 was spent on promoting the new EP, gigging, collecting ideas and opportunities. We met a lot of new friends online and offline, played and sang our hearts out, covered more songs than we ever did. We were able to release two music videos lovingly produced by photographer friends; celebrated our fourth year as a band; welcomed a fourth member named George Carillo to fill in on electric guitar duties; returned to Singapore for gigs. We performed over 60 listed gigs averaging five to six per month.
It was also during 2011 that we had a taste of a little prestige through songwriting competitions we courageously entered. I became a semi-finalist in the 2010 International Songwriting Competition (ISC) in the folk/singer-songwriter category for the song “Bread and Circuses“. This consequently led me to try my luck with the John Lennon Songwriting Contest with the song “Birthday Wishes“, bagging the grand prize in the mini contest for songs of peace and love in honor of Lennon’s 71st birthday.
The highlights that I tried to recall and enumerate above is indicative of another growth chapter for The Camerawalls. Each single day is enough to make us a little larger, growing into more and retreating into less. We are resolute in producing more songs this year, more gigs to plays, more books to read, more new things to experience and more socially relevant projects.
We are inviting you all to join us in our journey. To those who already did, you have given us a dear privilege to be part of your lives through our music.
A fabulous and legendary New Year to us all!
Reposted from http://dragonflycollector.com
Another leaf has turned as I spent my birthday week preparing and hosting a musical event. The traditional get together at Lilystars Records’ HQ on the 9th culminated with the launch of The Camerawalls EP “Bread and Circuses” at the Ayala Museum on the 11th.
I bought a whole crispy chicken for the potluck party only to become easily ignored by the wealth of food and alcohol brought along by each one who came. Some were homemade like the dishes prepared by Antonette, our wonder dinner-party hostess. Everyone from the label was present with some surprise guests – good friends who are helping us with our artists and events.
Sharing my chocolate cake.
When they brought in the cakes (there were two, one for Eric Po of Your Imaginary Friends whose birthday falls on the 12th), it’s when I realized it’s official — I’m thirty four! And loving it.
Last year, we had the same party at the exact same date. The following day when I tried to blog about it, I ended up writing a very insightful tune about my birthday wishes. Indulgent with the momentum, I readily posted a song demo for everyone to hear. You can listen/read about it HERE>>>
The song was realized and published on a proper record a year after and is included in “Bread and Circuses” EP as the only acoustic track in the collection. A simple one with a haunting melody over a root Am chord. To make the song extra special, I tied up with a couple musicians from Australia. Dan Shepherd (a slide guitarist), whom I met during his visit in the Manila, together with his friend Perrin Walker (a violinist), wrote and performed string sections and eventually bounced the recordings to me via email. You can hear their contribution beginning at 1:45 in the player below.
Robert Javier recorded my acoustic guitar and vocal takes, while the rest of the orchestrations that you will hear from beginning to end is produced and performed by Jonathan Ong of Sonicstate Audio, who is also responsible for mixing and mastering the track.
Birthday Wishes – The Camerawalls
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“…a lovely haunting tune, powerful in its Lennon-like lyricism. It has the gravitas of a prayer and the bittersweet insights of a songwriter on the eve of his birthday, reflecting on his life and then-current events (he refers to a female President).” Johanna Poblete, BusinessWorld
Birthday Wishes
Words and Music by Clementine
I call upon the Universe
To never take the shine off common people
Whose eyes are still gleaming with hope
I call upon the President
To limit her ambitions
There are far more greater things in life than power
I wish for peace and love
A better country and a happy coexistence
Longevity of the people I love
All these years I think of nothing, no one but myself
In birthday wishes
Now I think of you.
Now I think of you
I pray to you my sweetest Lord
Paint us a portrait of your Love
I sing to you my dearest friends
Never cease believing
Dreams do come true
I wish for peace and love
A better country and a happy coexistence
Longevity of the people I love
All these years I think of nothing, no one but myself
In birthday wishes
Now I think of you.
Now I think of you
Oh, grant me these wishes
Oh, grant me these wishes
Something good ends, something better will begin
Something good ends, something better will begin
And in this fog i use my heart as a compass
And in the darkness, my faith is my lamp
And in depression I learn the real value of living
Here’s a live clip taken during the EP launch, with Carlo Gaa sessioning on keyboards.
Birthday Wishes – The Camerawalls (Live at Ayala Museum)
All in all it has been a great week. Stressful and tiring, but for the most part fulfilling. (And) I’m grateful to all who contributed and made all these things happen. I leave you with my eternal, yearly birthday wishes. As eternal as I am an optimist, something better will always begin.
