Miguel Ortigas

Is That Ciudad?

Aside from the usual suspects, if someone were to ask me to name a band I really like, I would say it’s got to be Razorback. I was initiated back in ’93, when I told my parents that I’d be out staffing for the Ateneo HS Days With The Lord retreat when instead we left campus to watch these guys. We headed for the now defunct Kalye Bar and saw, among other things, drummer Miguel Ortigas pounding skins while his then girlfriend Dawn Zulueta tipsily gyrated to the band’s classic rock grooves. It was quite a sight, and quite a night. It blew me away with such intensity that it sealed the deal. I was going to live the rest of my years in favor of hard rock. I was going to wind up watching them countless times. Yes, I did like Razorback, a strong influence thrown in the center of my formative years. I liked them, but if someone were to ask me to name a band I really love, it’s not Razorback at all. It has got to be Ciudad.

I was lucky enough to catch them while they played as a quartet. Jeff Cabal’s crooning remains to be missed, but the group left behind is still quite a solid tripod. None of them exude the raw power of rock, not like Louie Talan does, or even Nathan Azarcon for that matter. In fact, it’s easy to conclude quite the opposite. They look like geeks, and an old Pulp magazine feature about them even shamelessly plugged that they are. Nerd Punk, as they were labeled, but I disagree. Nerd? Yes. Punk? Far from it. Hilera, now that’s punk, albeit unadulterated. These guys are more College Rock (the genre) more than anything else (think Weezer, only better). Much like the Heads’ legendary ‘UltraElectro’ and the original Maya’s sophomore effort ‘Trip,’ the recording of their albums can arguably be improved. However, just like the poorly recorded, critically acclaimed Heads and Maya albums I mentioned, I couldn’t care less. The songs speak for themselves. I recall a Barbie Almalbis interview back in her Hungry Young Poets days. She mentioned that in her album, the songs take the spotlight more than anything else. ‘Yung kanta yung bida,’ she quipped, and the same thing can be said about Ciudad’s contributions.

Most of their songs have the knack to grow on you. The melodic sensibilities imply a deep well of diverse influences. ‘Malalim ang pinaghuhugutan,’ a friend once agreed. You’d just know these musicians had impeccable taste. There’s a bit of jazz in there, a pinch of samba at times, and a lot of Mitch’s Foo Fighting beats, over perhaps, a playful pop melody. The songs did grow on me. The band did.

So what’s bad about them? They can tend to overdo silly stage antics. Mikey Amistoso’s voice does crack. If you’re looking for tough guy rock, you’re stepping on the wrong stompbox. A close friend of mine hates them. Another one’s not interested at all. But see, even if I’ve witnessed band perfection in live acts like Urbandub so many times, it just took several tape flips for me to know that I’d watch Ciudad over the others, any given Friday.

Hello, how are you, Mico, the happy bear?

I had a cassette copy, and after 10 years I got a free CD from the album anniversary gig