Meeting Tuan Thailand - Part One

Meeting Tuan Thailand

March 29th, 2019

(First picture I took with Win! But it wasn't very good because of the light). Still super stoked that I got it!)

  Today started off bad, then I ended up feeling sick. I was tempted to not go to this concert that my teachers enforced us to go to but I got to see the band The Bridge (a local Filipino band) and I got to interact with this band from Thailand. I do not regret going. I’m actually happy that I did. Although, I didn’t appreciate the ‘enforcement’ that was laid upon going to this concert.

  Tuan Thailand is a new band and I tried to look up more information about them but couldn’t find much. Maybe I looked the wrong way but I did find their YouTube, their Facebook page, and Instagram. Meeting them was so surreal. My classmates ended up leaving because they didn’t enjoy the music but the moment the band started to play a metal song my heart skipped a beat.

  I fell in love with the bass player and apologized to my significant other because I felt like the interaction I had at the concert was too intimate but he laughed at me and said that I was being dumb. He was glad that I had fun at the concert and I’m so happy that I went.

  When the first song began I remember watching the faces of my classmates as they looked uncomfortable with the music. Metal/screamo/punk/grudge… These genre are usually stereotyped as demonic and that’s not true!!! But, stereotypes are stereotypes.  The Philippines is a very religious country and a person can only imagine how these people misinterpreted the introduction.

 My soul resonated with the music as I began to process what was going on between the reactions of the people around me (their misinterpretations) and the lit flame of passion for music that ignited within me. I began to analyze each instrument because the speakers were blasting one portion of the song, there was screaming, singing, and other sounds that alternated between speakers.

  In the first song I focused on the scream since it was the attention catching factor in the song. The background (which was very loud at first) was a rhythm that I recognized with the metal genre. First, I faced the band and watched as the bass player’s sole part in the first song was to scream and be background but his mic worked better than the lead singers which was why he was clearer than the lead singer.

  There were three guitars in total which I later registered as one bass guitar and two regular guitars. The lead singer was dressed in a punk outfit which was another factor in me trying to understand this band. As an American who was been exposed to this genre and open to different cultures I didn’t feel that there was different culture in front of me. I had already experience this kind of music and their attire which was what made me more comfortable at the concert.

  I’ve come to realize how isolated I truly felt in this country until as of late. This concert made me feel at home. Whereas, to them, they were the foreigners but to me, they were like me. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m in the New Tandem which is the journalism organization for the University. Well, when the emcee saw me, he approached and put me on spot.

  The interesting thing about this interaction was that he said ‘Buenos Noches’ which mean ‘Good Night’ in Spanish. I repeated it, not as a response but as a way to process what language he had spoken. Then, he converted to English but when he converted to English, I panicked and responded in Ilocano. This happened for two replied then I switched to Spanish as he left but he asked me ‘what was I expecting from this band from Thailand’? I told him (through the mic) that I expect them to be something unique, something that I haven’t heard before.

  Since I understand the Filipino culture, what they brought in the introduction alone was unique. This genre, without curse words, was being performed in front of Filipinos and not all of them associated that type of music as socially acceptable since the genre is stereotyped as demonic. In that way, they did present something unique but I because I’m American and because I come from a multicultural background they didn’t present something new to me. And truth be told, I loved it.

  This band brought out my passion in music again. I got lost in the concert and the lead singer did fantastic in interacting with the audience. He got off stage (which is something that not many performers do) and he walked to the back to bring the people sitting in the back to the front! Or, at least, closer to the front but he was very friendly and social.

  I wish his mic had worked better because I when I looked up the band after the concert I got to hear his singing voice clearly and it’s beautiful but because of the mic he had, the quality of his singing was tampered with. In the first song, as I mentioned before, the sole purpose of the bass player was to play the beat and scream which was what caught my attention to him in the first place.

  The secondary guitarist was adorable and smaller than the other two guitarist. (The lead singer also played guitar). After their second song they asked for someone to go up there who could dance and my friend had told me to go but I told her, I can’t dance. I can sing, but I can’t dance.

  As my second concert experience in the Philippines, I have to say, I truly enjoyed it. The Bridge was my first concert experience and they were not disappointing either! I think I’ll save the Bridge for my next post because I can take them apart in the same way that I am with Tuan Thailand.

  This band did not disappoint me and made my day. I didn’t expect to have a good time at this concert. Only because I didn’t feel well before the concert but once Tuan Thailand started to play all of the pain went away and I was back at home at a concert with my concert buddy Gloria. Before I left, she had taken me to go see Breaking Benjamin. Before that, we went to go see Seether. This band took me back to those memories. It was so surreal.

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  This is part one of three. If you would like to read the whole journal entry (which is 3-4 thousand words) you are welcome to by clicking on this link. Otherwise, tune in tomorrow and the day after next for the full journal entry! 

Thank you for reading,

Dj/Cho/Nar

Discover Tuan Thailand!

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 They don't really use this but there are a few videos of their music on there.  

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Spotify

 Two of their songs are available on Spotify. One is 1,000 miles and the other is written in Thai so I don’t know what the name is but it’s good!

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