Girl In Park

...

2005-11-20T19:43:00.000-08:00

Why?

Wide open

Wide Oh(Why?) openCassio

could you love me more...?

More?

Can we be friends...?

On a journey to Tibet I call "freedom"

Words unsung

Hold me close

Don't let the wind follow

Don't let the wind take us awayCassio...

What the *%$# -

Would you do anything to work out all wrong?

It's my freedom Cassio! Cassio!Cassio...

Can you stomach what I've done, oh, to your soul..?

To your soul?

Can we drown?

Getting caught in muddy waters?

Ooh and go down

Ooh forever in doubt

Hold me close

Don't let the wind follow

Don't let the wind take us away Cassio..What the $#@! -

Is anything worth it at all?

It's my freedom Cassio!

Cassio!

Never let me go!

She's been higherIt's my fault!

She never let up

It's my lonely year, its the only salvation

Ooh yeah, it's my final request

Going down... Down Going down...

My fault, no we're going down! BYE!

Oh we're crashing down, down, down

Oh we're crashing down, down yeah...

Going down... Down

Yeah

Now I know your higher, down

Mm bye Cassio...Cassio...

NEVERENDER

2005-11-10T18:14:00.000-08:00

When you've gone about things all wrong,
Bury them here, with a lifetime you would never regret
in savoring sleep, what do you mean i toss and turn everywhere?
i'll miss you when you're gone
with pretending that you weren't the world to me
with that you'd call me a liar and in making mistakes
you'll rest incomplete...

The hand reads seven-thirty
and your night begins to sink in the short but faster fall
anxious but calm retort to a mirror that frames your face
baring the finest swell

And the day begins to break,
like the tears that run across your cheek
stand straight and imagine you then
in things and the way they could have been
when the thoughts they race across your chin
here in the neverend

(before you walk home)
when he's found figuring, will he be home again?
(signal loss and stereo)
with wide open windows will she be waiting for
(the sounds surround the overpass)
with severed arm placement when the day's DARK, old and dead
(a dead man against you)
we'll write her a letter with long time passing by

In graver mistakes (i'll be home)
dear mom and dad, i'll write you in this letter that states (i'll be moving on)
when the new day's begun, (new day's begun)
forget your son when he's out on his own
point your gun in another direction
now that you've cried yourself to sleep
point your gun in another direction
now that you've cried yourself to sleep
here and there
after the fire
after the fire
i'll be home...

~DARKEST~

SUNSET, OYSTER COVE

2005-11-02T16:38:00.000-08:00

I know better than to lie down
In sunshine late afternoon
To drowse and wake at twilight with torturing midges
When those who know me so well
They could find me on any shore on earth
Take for the breath the nightwind’s: Exile, exile.

To all, to lovers, to friends
Secure beyond falling out of love,
Time brings at the last time on earth together.
Let memory lie like sunlight
On this desolation of weeds.
You are raked with pain, but alive, and paintings stand

Round the cave of your room; in the shadow
Of death, your death, they are binding
Your life to inviolate space.
For what do we grieve

If death is only an image
In the mirror of time’s abyss,
The prior darkness when earth did not contain us?

How long, how late we would talk
Of death, love, art, the enchanting
Confusion of mortal questions. We could have talked
For a thousand years, and changed
Our minds a thousand times,
Like Goethe changing “For all must melt away

To nothing,” after his friends
Had it set in golden letters
For a scientific assembly.
I fear those dreams
When those I loved, now dead,
Are speaking to those who died
In earlier times; they did not meet on earth

But smile, and know. They bid me:
Restore, repair, remember.
Be with me here as you were, in pain but smiling,
Here where the dying race
Posed stiffly" as grim dolls
For their last likeness, history closing around them.

As sunset paints neglected
Damson and lively thistle,
And the tide returns to send the semaphore crabs
Each to his burrow, flaunting
A pugilistic nipper,
Affirm, “No being can dissolve to nothing.”

R.I.P
gramps

EMAiL US AT THiS ADD -> zZzillion thankzZz..

2005-09-15T01:25:00.000-07:00

girlinparkgip@yahoo.com.ph

2005-07-11T03:14:00.000-07:00

Backend of Forever

2005-07-11T03:02:00.000-07:00

sweet harmony

2005-04-28T02:37:00.000-07:00

darkmoon en moonlight jamming

2005-04-28T02:35:00.000-07:00

Dont forget to remember...

2005-04-28T02:15:00.000-07:00

ENDLESS SACRiFiCE...

2005-03-16T06:04:00.000-08:00

SEQUOiA album review.. hmm..

2005-01-18T01:53:00.000-08:00

http://www.girlposse.com/cgi-bin/stories/display.cgi?id=188

http://www.accidentalmedia.com/graf/forum/viewtopic.php?t=37&sid=3bd4479db834913bbe3c9bdca61d186d

http://www.hostib.mihopa.com/forums/index.php?mforum=eleoj&showtopic=3

http://halogenrecords.proboards29.com/index.cgi?board=Reviews&action=display&num=1095196260

http://www.reviewcentre.com/review134820.html

SHE said..

2005-01-13T22:26:00.000-08:00

HE said...

2005-01-13T22:03:00.000-08:00

There must be something in the way I feel

with you...

2004-11-26T20:16:00.001-08:00

You think you know? But you have no idea...

2004-11-13T01:47:00.000-08:00

I found out that we are not even sign to KIA... how could they realease SEQUOiA if were not even signed??? hmm.... sux man...

Some days you want to live, some days you don’t.

2004-11-13T01:22:00.000-08:00

So you want to die. No, I mean, you don’t even want to go through the hassle of dying. You wish you didn’t exist? If only you could disappear? Suddenly I feel it coming, and I didn’t do anything. So you don’t know how it feels. You should be understanding and let me in peace do the one thing that brings me joy and a sense of completion. I say that if you live with something long enough, it becomes normal... besides, my getting all teary isn’t gonna change anything. It’s done!

~darkmoon(PQ)~

WHY BAD THiNGS... HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE?

2004-11-04T22:51:00.000-08:00

TELL ME WHY??

The Jack Daniel's Session in Manila

2004-10-19T21:49:00.000-07:00

GiP Lives Here

Girl in Park delivered a powerful performance last Friday on Jack Daniel's In Session. Starting off with Aluminum, people instantly drifted up front, obviously familiar with the song's guitar intros. The song would have lasted the whole night, and their fans would have kept bobbing their heads up and down, obviously mesmerized by JA Manuel's nonchalant and graceful presence, backed up by GiP's trademark rhythms. Their version of The Beatles' Dear Prudence also received warm appreciation, especially for the foreigners mingled with the crowd. GiP's guitar creativity and the vocalist's interpretation made the song quite a novelty all over again. The band finished off with Inside of ME, a haunting song which closed the performance with a flourish, leaving the crowd with more to look forward to. Except for Marty McFly and Kiko Machine, no band lived up to the Indie spirit more than GiP did. Honesty and vulnerability are indeed attractive on stage, although lights and blue shades could hide it a little bit. Girl in Park was so classy and attractively aloof, they were meant to hold the audience tranced for 3 songs straight. I, for one, was.

Rock on!

by: Erika Cabanawan

2004-09-14T05:47:00.000-07:00

Girl in Park’s
BEST & WORST GIGS
BY Sunshine Reyes
(Woman's Magazine January 2, 2002)

A few months after I decided to let go of managing a boy band, whose drummer was a friend of a friend. At first I was hesitant to say yes because of school restraints, and I wasn’t really into band management. A week later, I listened to a rough demo of Forgotten 7th String. I listened to four tracks of mellow, dream-pop songs fronted by ethereal-sounding-female vocals. The sound was promising, but I still wasn’t sure. But in the end I gave in, thinking it wouldn’t hurt to lend a helping hand.

One weekend, I met up with Boyet Conde (on drums), and Jaja Manuel (vocals/guitars). Boyet is an old friend, but I met Jaja for the first time. I expected someone sulky & snobbish but I was pleasantly surprised. She was wearing a black t-shirt, a stud piercing below her lower lip, colored bids looped around here wrist and silver jewelry – her hair wavy & nonchalantly tied in a pony tail. She also had glasses on. Her smile was warm &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp; friendly. The band decided to change its name to Girl In Park, a title of a painting under Andy Warhol’s collection. On stage, Jaja in all blue jeans, with her ubiquitous glasses, gently strums her guitar, head bowed, looking up only when she’s about to sing. Often times, she smiles as she sings, probably to lighten up her lyrically-dark songs, one of which is “REST” already a crowd favorite:

If I were to die tonight,

I’ll leave all behind.Nothing seems to matter,

Except for the place I’ll take my rest,

I wonder where will I be without you.

Here, Q & A with Jaja Manuel, vocalist, guitarist, and reluctant heartthrob of Girl in Park over ice cream- topped crepes and ice tea:

Q: Are you aware that you sing well?

A: (laughs) Actually, I never wanted to sing. I only wanted to play the guitar. Sobrang na-engganyo ako sa Incubus (a foreign band which she really likes) kaya ever since, kinakapa ko yung mga songs nila. Pero ayoko talagang kumanta, I don’t have the guts. I have stage fright. I hate being notice. I just want to play the guitar.

Q: When was the first time you picked a guitar?

A: Grade 5. Meron akong classmate na special kid… autistic… gustong gusto niya yung isang love song… tapos ‘yung teacher ko may guitar at songhits nu’ng time na ‘yun. Medyo marunong na ako mag-chords nu’n eh… I played this song for my classmate, because I wanted to make him happy. I played his favorite song, nakalimutan ko na kung ano ‘yun, basta love song. Kay Tiffany ‘ata (laughs). Tapos naging theme song pa naming dalawa ‘yun, kaming dalawa kumakanta tapos naawa ako kasi tina-try n’ya talaga kumanta na hindi naman nya kaya, kasi nga special child siya.

Q: Anyone in your family who’s also musically-inclined?

A: My grandfather, I’m not sure if he sings, but he plays the ukulele very well. Hindi n’ya kami tinuruan pero sa tingin ko du’n namin nakuha ‘yung pagiging musically-inclined. My kuya is a choir director. Kami lang dalawa sa family ‘yung mahilig sa music.

Q: Besides Incubus, who else do you look up to, in foreign & local scenes?

A: Locally, Cynthia Alexander is the best. At marami pang iba. Pero sa foreign, syempre si Björk, Belly, Madder Rose, Elastica…

Q: Who writes the Girl in Park songs?

A: Ahhhhhh… ako sa lyrics. Parang ako na ‘yung naging in-charge sa vocals kasi nag-ja-jam lang naman kami at that time… ako talaga ay isang gitarista lang pero ako na ‘yung umawit para mas sincere. Para maka-relate talaga ako sa ginagawa ko.

Q: Your lyrics tend to be brooding. The first time I heard your demo, I remember thinking, “nakakalungkot naman ito.” So, I kept thinking, maybe you’ve so many traumatic relationships and experiences…

A: (laughs) Actually, those songs (I based) on friends’ stories. Inisip ko lang, I’m trying to imagine myself in that kind of situation, pero hindi pa naman nangyayari sa ‘kin… siguro masyado lang akong negative sa mga bagay, especially when it comes to relationships. Sa tingin ko, hindi talaga nagla-last mga relationships, at ‘di ko alam kung bakit nagkakagano’n. Parang sa tingin ko, you try hard to stay together, pero magbe-break pa rin.

Q: OK. Best and worst gigs?

A: Worst? Sa Mayrics! When two of my bandmates didn’t show up because they were fighting. Sobrang… hay naku! nu’ng time na ‘yun, disband na! Pinaka-OK, (San Miguel Beer’s) Oktoberfest opening, sa Libis. Pinaka-magandang experience, pinaka-magandang gamit, magandang stage… it was perfect. But I can’t really say kung ‘yung sound namin no’n eh ‘yun ‘yung pinaka-best? Sa tingin ko hindi ‘yun eh. ‘Yung gamit at experience… parang Woodstock eh… laki ng stage… ‘yung place…

Q: At may nag-a-acrobats pa habang tumutugtog kayo, onstage…

A: (laughs) Oo… hahaha! Natatandaan mo pa pala!

cont. II GiP's best & worst gig...

2004-09-14T05:28:00.001-07:00

Q: Anyway, who bought your guitar?
A:Ay, gitara ko… galing sa Church. Galing ‘ata sa Singapore, tapos napunta sa ‘kin… wala kasing gumagamit. Maraming electric guitars du’n sa Church, di naman madami mga dalawa, tapos ‘yun na lang natira na matino, ako na ‘yung gumamit.

Q: How long do you think will you stick around the band scence?
A: Ngayon nga naisip ko mag-lie-low… parang nagsawa ako… parang… hindi ganito ‘yung lifestyle na gusto ko. Basta gusto ko mag-create ng music pero sa ’kin lang. Naisip ko ganito pala ‘yung feeling na maraming banda… hindi naman marami, dalawa lang pero nakakapagod eh. (Recently, she was invited to join indie band Pin-up girls, to play guitar and sing backup.) Kuntento na kasi ako sa Girl in Park, kahit na ganu’n yung mga kabanda ko (her band mates argue personal problems constantly, prompting her and Boyet to look for replacements).

Q: What do you feel when people come up to you, post-gig? What about that one time, when you were asked for an autograph, for the first time?
A: (laughs) Hindi ko alam ‘yung gagawin ko! Hindi ko alam kung seryoso siya o nang-aasar lang. Pero natutuwa talaga ako kasi it means that we’re appreciated.

Q: Can you define your sound?
A: (My bandmates and I) have different influences. It’s quite difficult to classify our music. ‘Yung songs, soft ‘yung sound but my contributions, lyrically, ‘yun yung dark side ko.

Q: What is Jaja’s dark side?
A: I’m secretive. I don’t open up easily to people. I find it difficult to trust. That’s why I come up with those songs, negative ako at pessimistic at times. Favorite song ko – “Inside of Me”, kasi ‘yun talaga personality ko.

Q: Would you recommend your lifestyle to girls of your age?
A: Syempre, lagi ka nagko-commute, tapos wala naman pera… Actually this is not about money eh… pero syempre kelangan mo ‘rin ng pera para may pamasahe (laughs). It’s the experience and music being the common interest. Kaya ka nag-banda because you want to create music together and it’s not being popular.

Q: Last words?
A: Ahhh… thank you Shine, kahit pinaghintay mo ’ko ng matagal ngayon (laughs). No to piracy! And we’re looking for guitar players and bassists… please don’t hesitate to contact us… and I’m doing this for my Mom. She’s my inspiration.

Album Review in U.K.

2004-09-07T01:07:00.000-07:00

'Girl In Park' "Sequoia"

- Label: 'Know-It-All Records'

- Genre: 'Indie'

- Release Date: '8/10/2004'

Our Rating:

Now where did this gem fall from? Certainly not from the decaying mind of Fiona Apple, whose last player was so dreadful that she had to create an unintelligible title so people could remember it. Young vox lass Jaja Manuel shovels the nymphet angle to the curb, unleashing her vitriol without a seatbelt. Nah, we're not talking angst on the level of PJ Harvey, but whispered bleeding wounds on "Letters," "A Little Too Late," and "Miles Apart," complete with an airplane taking off intro that illustrates the growing distance between a couple. I never heard of Girl In Park prior to this disc, and I won't forget them, either. Not a smile in this collection, but misery loves company, as the cliche turns, and depression rarely sounds this pretty. Did "Maps" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs make you weep? Then the hidden bonus cut on "Sequoia" is going to drip the Pacific Ocean into your hanky. This is such a sad record that even Morrissey will most likely bow to its heavy heart. Does a perfect CD exist? It does, and it's here. Happy faces stay away. Find it at http://www.cafepress.com/knowitallrec or http://www.knowitallrecords.com. Remember Tori Amos' "Little Earthquakes"? This is on that same bloody level.

author: Carter Hall

http://www.whisperinandhollerin.co.uk/reviews/review.asp?id=1635

2004-08-30T01:47:00.000-07:00

"So I may not be the most pleasant seeming little girl on the face of the earth, but: All charming people have something to conceal, usually their total dependence on the appreciation of others." Cyril Connolly (1903 - 1974)

AMOCRAS celebrates his 28th Birthday!

2004-08-29T01:39:00.002-07:00

A good friend of mine is celebrating his birthday today! Too bad he's got cancer ;-( I just wish that he will get through all of this. To you chef pok8to HAPPY BIRTHDAY... LONG LIVE mah friend!

Just to let you know..

2004-08-26T03:50:00.001-07:00

“Over the years my technique has become so automatic, so natural, that I don’t need to think about what I’m doing. No, my thoughts wander off wherever they want. I’m usually not in the same place mentally that I appear to be physically.”

~JA of Girl in Park~

2004-08-25T02:29:00.000-07:00

“How I wish that someone would remember my words and record them in a book! Or with a chisel carve my words in stone and write them so that they would last for ever. But I know there is someone in heaven who will come at last to my defense. Even after my skin is eaten by disease, while still in the body I will see my maker. I will see him with my own eyes, and He will not be a stranger.” ~JA Manuel~

"Death of a loved One"

2004-08-24T02:30:00.000-07:00

Today is my mother's birthday! Too bad she can't be here to celebrate it with us ;-( I am overwhelmed with so much sadness... cause life will never be the same without her.. if only...

If you think I'm beautiful... hmm...

2004-08-19T21:01:00.000-07:00

If you think I'm beautiful? I might be now, but one day I'll have white hair and blotched skin and plastic teeth and maybe one breast left. If the thought of that appeals to you, then we might talk about hanging out. But if you're into the surface thing, the beauty thing, then I might just have to turn around, snap off your head & eat you... -- from the mind of an awakened human being--

GIP cd's available online via credit card!

2004-08-19T00:21:00.000-07:00

Order Girl In Park's "Sequoia" now:

http://www.cafepress.com/knowitallrec.12783903

Manila, Philippines' own the Girl In Park & Pin-up Girls have just released new albums on Know-It-All Records, an independent label based in Tacoma, Washington that is receiving substantial attention and praise from folks like "Rock of the '80s" radio pioneer Stephen Rabow, veteran Seattle critic Anthony Kay, music reviewer Jim Corrigan in the U.K., and "Pinoy Rock" radio host Jason Baquilod. The Pin-Up Girls have acquired massive airplay in New Jersey, Washington State, Missouri, and Maine.After the Pin-Up Girls' U.S. debut "Taste Test" sold out last year, Know-It-All Records decided to reissue the album to fans who missed out on it. However, there's a twist "Taste Test: Expanded Menu" now has 11 tracks instead of five, including a number of new recordings such as the gloomy "Pictures" (recalling the Church), "Spacegrrl Superb," and the Ocean Blue-meets-R.E.M. New Wave vibe of "Jackson Pollock 9."

Order the Pin-Up Girls' " Taste Test: Expanded Menu" now via creditcard:

http://www.cafepress.com/knowitallrec.12783255

"It's an exciting time for Pinoy Rock," said Know-It-All Records' A&R Representative Michael Sutton, who signed both the Pin-Up Girls and Girl In Park to the American-owned label. "These are hard-working, talented artists who deserve a shot at the big time, and we'll do everything we can to accomplish that."

Michael Sutton
Publicity/A&RKnow-It-All Records

"Don't forget the songs that made you cry. And the songs that saved your life"
- The Smiths-

Girl in Park on myspace!!!

2004-08-12T23:52:00.000-07:00

Yo! Girl in Park is on myspace.com you can check our songs. Add us up if you want to hear the samples from the album--SEQUOIA. Thank you and God bless 'ya all!

girlinpark_gip@yahoo.com
see ya there!

Sequoia album is out...

2004-08-11T01:53:00.000-07:00

Sequoia album is out just check out www.knowitallrecords.com for more details. CONGRATULATIONS!!! And thank you to those people who make this all possible, you know who you are. CHEERS!!! May the youth of america embrace Filo Music. God speed.

~JA Manuel of Girl in Park~

Girl in Park on Friendster!

2004-08-06T22:47:00.000-07:00

Hi to me ;-) Anyone??? heheheGirl in Park is on friendster! If you happen to like our music you can add us at girlinpark_gip@yahoo.com Feel free to ask the band anything you want. If you haven't heard any of our songs wait til the album comes out this August I think. Check out knowitallrecords.com for more details. Thank you & God bless everyone out there... from all walks of life...

From Know It All website..

2004-08-04T00:25:00.000-07:00

GIRL IN PARK

Led by singer/songwriter/guitarist JA Manuel, Girl In Park is a whirlpool of emotions, love and loss expressed through hauntingly beautiful, melancholic vocals and melodic riffs that veer from sunlight shimmer to dark, angst-driven rock. Often compared to the Sundays, the Cranberries, and Madder Rose, Girl In Park explore the dreams and nightmares of everyday living: in other words, the ups and downs of relationships. Girl in Park are actually a more intimate and subtle group than their influences, weaving mood-spinning tales of with lyrics that are straightforward and confessional. Based in Manila, Philippines, Girl In Park was formed from the ashes of a girl group called Dazed & Confused, eventually renamed Dazed. When Dazed split up, Manuel decided to pursue another band. Consisting of Manuel, drummer Boyeth Conde, guitarist Aji Camua, and bassist Jason Tres Reyes, Girl In Park were recently signed to Know-It-All Records not long after Manuel sent the band’s demo to the label’s A&R Representative Michael Sutton. Their Know-It-All Records debut, Sequoia, is a collection of tunes about feelings – ones that hurt and ones that make you daydream.

Nothing serious...

2004-07-31T00:46:00.000-07:00

No one is here but me uhmm.. cool ;-)

"Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really yourGod". Martin Luther (1483-1536)

An awesome "Ukelele Player" was born!!!

2004-07-25T01:33:00.000-07:00

Hello there! It's my Lolo's birthday too bad we can't be together cause our family is in Gardena cali. But its ok cause were lookin' at the same sky. Loveyou lolo. Btw this is where our musical inclination came from. Long lived gramps mwaaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!

Hi....

2004-07-24T02:48:00.000-07:00

Greetings! Feel free to post anything you want cause this is cool & interesting, thanks to Mikey "The Ear" Sutton. Hope all is well with everyone out there. Til next. God bless...

Welcome to Girl In Park's Diary

2004-07-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the online diary of Girl In Park on Know-It-All Records.