The publishing house you must have heard of, Penguin Random House, is putting out a book I wrote titled And For The Record next month. Aug. 27 is when it will be made available in paperback copies, both in Singapore and Malaysia, along with the global release of its Kindle version.
The book is a memoir of my life as a recording artist and music journalist in the Philippines, divided into four sections, according to the periods I spent with various bands I played in, namely, The Dreamers, my band in college, Syato, my group that got signed and which had two sets of personnel, and The Pub Forties, one that I formed with mates in media circles when I was about to hit 40. Life continues at 40.
Oct. 30 is the publication date for readers in the Philippines, the book’s primary target market, and the rest of the Southeast Asian region where it will be distributed. On this same day, international markets like the UK, EU, and the USA will be able to purchase the book via Amazon.com.
By late November, And For The Record will be released in Australia and New Zealand.
My book has the sub-title Memoir of a Filipino Writer-Musician.
Is my name big enough to author something like this? Definitely not. But I dare to write one. I’m the guy who wrote about some of his struggles and sprinkled them with my share of little victories.
Let me tell you that my book is also part songwriting and band-life manual, as well as part tribute to some of my heroes in music. If you know of someone who is in a band and is eyeing to be a rock star because that looks cool, please ask him to read the book and let me pull him back to Earth. Allow my book to address someone’s machismo attitude and convince him that being an artist is a commitment to the soul, not a brat’s pathway to stardom or a bohemian form of getting the chicks’ attention.
I recall that a classmate back in high school who played the guitar mocked me, saying once that he wondered why I was still looking for a band rehearsal studio while he had already moved on from the garage band thing. To him, it was a mere pace. For me, I knew it was a lifelong passion.
For nearly 30 years since that dude made that deriding remark, I have been in three bands where I served as chief songwriter, bass player, and backup singer. My run produced two albums, two EPs, and a string of digital singles. I also collaborated with other artists who recorded songs I wrote.
On the writing front, my byline has appeared in more than 10 media outlets, and counting, including Manila Standard wherein I have been writing an entertainment column for a total of five years now. I have been writing mostly about music and the music scene. From time to time I would touch other beats like lifestyle, business, and sports – as I’ve trained myself to do so. I have written a few articles about the stop-the-hate campaign. Yet, music and arts will always be the one that comes second nature to me.
I am telling this not to show off to that same boy, but to give a picture that being a writer-musician is something I enjoy and get fulfillment from. I know it’s the one life I want to become, despite it not being necessarily a lucrative profession, especially in a country like the Philippines where showbiz and politics can get mixed up in bad taste.
There will always be bullies to discourage you. So my book will remind you to keep going with whatever it is you find worth doing. It’s not all about fame and money, but living a life doing what you love, and trying to make it in your chosen field in every way possible without stepping on others or abandoning class and decency.
Now I am here in the United States of America, which my Filipino-born US citizen father asked me to go to – yes, over the phone on our last conversation before he passed away. Thanks to the authorities who approved my artist visa, which by definition is given to “people with extraordinary ability in the arts.” The American Federation of Musicians also acknowledged that I am a “composer, musical artist, musical writer of extraordinary ability.” These morale boosters somehow proved that I didn’t make a mistake in embarking on an artist career. Your passion can be your profession.
And For The Record is a set of narrative, reflective essays, most of which I wrote at the height of the pandemic. I did it as a form of mental therapy to remind me of my experiences and learnings as I hobbled through the lockdown days. Almost every day during that span, I would allot some time to sit down and write. Writing helps you clear your thoughts by putting into words what’s in your head. The act of formulating sentences that make sense is healthy for the mind and empowers the heart.
My first two books, a pile of essays and a compilation of flash fiction, were e-books uploaded by a Manila-based publisher. The next two, a novel and a collection of short stories, are available in paperback and hardbound, both published by the rising Ukiyoto Publishing.
When I got hired as a copy editor by CNN Philippines in late 2021, I put what I had written about my life as a writer-musician on the shelf.
I took it out sometime in 2023 to submit it to possible takers. By some luck, Penguin Random House SEA (Southeast Asia) called back. This is my first book to be published by a major publishing house.
