http://kamiasroad.wordpress.com/

Ironically, for a release entitled “Pianos Everywhere,” half if its songs are done on solo guitar, and the other half on solo acoustic piano. And what songs these be. Angsty, emotional, sentimental Avant-Pop.

Beginning with the multiharmonic radio-friendly “Angel” Khavn unleashes acoustic bittersweet emotions set to solo piano. Even solo guitar + voice tunes like “She Doesn’t Have a Heart” betray more spirit than Khavn’s imperfect singing voice can exude. “Myth of the Beautiful Loser” is another gem, pitting a delicate Tori Amos-like piano line with witty lyrics that would put Ben Folds to shame.

Best tune hands down is the geeky “Don’t Fall in Love with a Superhero” which is probably the only pop song in the world to compare love with the Uncanny X-Men, the Mighty Avengers and daring Daredevil.

“Pianos Everywhere” is almost 32 minutes of Avant-pop wit, without the distraction of a full-band production. Thus what you get is pure, raw, undistilled music meant for the heart of the 21st century romantic.

Download album as one zip file from Archive.org.
http://www.archive.org/download/krd-004-pianos-everywhere/krd-004-pianos-everywhere_vbr_mp3.zip

Cover photo: “Clouds” by Florin Mogos.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/florin_mogos/2523984446/

01. Angel
02. She Doesn’t Have a Heart
03. Heartbreaker
04. Unrequited
05. Don’t Fall in Love with a Superhero
06. In Between
07. Myth of the Beautiful Loser
08. Tree in Sunken Garden
09. Echo
10. Tired
11. Nice
12. Sleepy

All tracks written, composed, & performed by Khavn De La Cruz

Curated by Lionel Valdellon
http://acid42.bluechronicles.net/blog

http://www.admu.edu.ph/index.php?p=120&type=2&sec=40&aid=6257

Ateneo graders stage a new version of Ibong Adarna

by Dr. Fernando Hofileña
2009-01-15

“Adarna at and Alaala ng Kristal,” the 77th production of the Ateneo Children’s Theatre (ACT), is scheduled to open on January 30, 2008 at the Irwin Theatre, Ateneo Loyola Heights campus.

Jonny Salvador, Executive Producer of ACT and Assistant Headmaster for Student Affairs of the Ateneo Grade School explains, “Choosing a Filipino play for 2009 was a deliberate move by the directors in conjunction with the celebration of Ateneo’s 150th year, its Sesquicentennial, in the Philippines. After more than six years of staging Broadway musicals, it is high time for ACT to take a different route, one that will celebrate the beauty of the Filipino language all over again. This, of course, is fueled by the theme of Ateneo’s sesquicentennial year which is nation building.”

Ace Elgar, one of the directors, shares that Khavn dela Cruz, an Ateneo alumnus, volunteered to write the script after he got wind of the fact that ACT was looking for a writer who will give the popular Filipino korido, “Ibong Adarna,” a twist. She also mentions dela Cruz’ enviable credentials: recipient of Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Award for Poetry and Fiction and the Dean’s Award for Literature from his alma mater; an acclaimed composer, songwriter, singer, pianist and writer of several rock operas; and recipient of citations from the Metro Pop Song Festival and the Ateneo Songwriting Fest as well as The John Lennon Songwriting Contest (New Jersey). To top it all off, he is also considered Father of Philippine Digital filmmaking.

Khavn surprised the directors because he did not write about the legendary quest of Don Juan for the Ibong Adarna in order to help his dying father, King Fernando (the first part of the 1,722 stanzas of “Ibong Adarna” which many Filipinos know and love). What he wrote was the last story in this romantic narrative poem – Don Juan’s search for the Reyno de los Kristales (the fourth and fifth part of the entire korido if divided into five parts), because he was driven by the desire to educate the theatre-goers, especially the younger patrons. Unfortunately this part is hitherto unheard of and unseen in this country. Faithful to the korido, Khavn embraced the same lyrical language for the script. Read More »