Trashbunk Single “Bait” is Out and Man You Gotta Hear it!

Trashbunk’s single “Bait” has been out for a couple of days now and even though I got a sneak preview of it months back, hearing it now still blows my mind.

Ok, gotta admit, after Al and I had a conversation a few months back, it lit a fire under my posterior and made me reach out to the guys in my band to see if there was still a glimmer of hope that we could get back together.

And because I wasn’t getting any responses, I even had the idea to try and see if Al would take me in as a Keytar player. Hehehehe that was a short-lived dream because my band eventually got back together a few weeks later.

The Northern Invasion Send off at the Commons

The Northern Invasion Tour at YAKĀ gets under way with a send-off gig at The Commons at MTS on November 15, Saturday with Project Satellite, Blinking Amber, TrashBunk, and QUARTERLIFE CRISIS. Be there for the lift off!

That’s later.

Aw man… and I’m stuck doing daddy duties.

This is an awesome lineup of bands that if you had the opportunity to go and watch, should go and watch.

Project Satellite

Project Satellite are stalwart members of the Davao music scene and continue to break boundaries with their music reaching audiences that you wouldn’t expect to see at their gigs.

Project Satellite started out as an underground favorite with their uncompromising performances onstage and emotional vocal delivery of uber-charismatic frontman Rhys. Paired with the frantic guitar work of Chokie and it’s a pair you couldn’t, wouldn’t, shouldn’t take your eyes off the moment they hit the stage.

QUARTERLIFE CRISIS

Led by the super accomplished musician, Wolf Quorthon, QUARTERLIFE CRISIS is proof that with enough determination, even the most obscure bands can reach the widest audience.

It helps that their music catches everyone’s attention easily and holds it their in a stranglehold until they’re done and off to the next song in their setlist.

Blinking Amber

Uhm… Al… can you fill this portion up?

I wish I had more time and freedom to get back out there and check the local scene like I used to but… daddy duties…

I hope to see Blinking Amber in person soon though.

And then there’s TrashBUnk

‘Nuff said.

Why Trashbunk Works

I only know two members of the band. I haven’t met the others personally so I can only speak about my observations on the two mentioned here.

So first one is obviously going to be Al.

I’ve known Al for over a decade now. I’ve seen him thin and gangly and now, well, just a little bit more filled out (like yours truly, who’s twice the man he used to be.) Like our weights and body sizes, we’ve fluctuatated over the years with our individual band’s successes.

But one thing that’s remained constant with Al is that every time we talk, I always see that burning passion in his eyes. It’s scary because it’s something I know that can’t be suppressed. It’s like looking at a younger version of who I used to be.

And then there’s Meghan who I first met through her band Anna Maria and then Vipera. She was a small girl then. A quiet girl who let others speak while she remained in the background.

I thought, what a shame, with looks like that, I’d want to be the frontwoman.

Over the years she has come into her own and the biggest indicator that she was serious about her craft was when she got that 7-string guitar and bands just kept asking her to be part of theirs.

I was one of them but I never got the courage to ask her to collaborate on a song or two.  

I guess she finally landed on the right one with Trashbunk as her talents on the 6 er… 7-string are coming to fore.

She’s obviously eye candy but she’s not all looks. She can run circles around any guitarist in Davao and she’s still on her way to reaching her full potential. I wonder how scarily amazing she’ll be in a few years. Her career as a guitarist is definitely one to look out for.

As a group, Trashbunk is an audio-visual treat. They’ve successfully melded theatrics with technique. They are the band everyone wishes they had the guts to form and perform in.

Had they lacked for talent or courage, this band would have sunk faster than the Titanic. But because they have equal parts skill to pull their individual parts off and the bravado to stand onstage as a group made up of interesting characters, they have successfully created a truly unique band for this day and age.

Now will someone give that bassist a trophy for coming up with the idea to go up onstage half-naked? In the future, and in more professional settings where he might be required to wear a shirt, his er… topless presentation may er… present a problem.

But!

There’s a solution!

There’s Bogart the Explorer’s shirt!

With that awesome shirt, he can get away with being topless without being topless and probably help him stay a little bit warmer onstage and save his nipples from being frozen stiff at the slightest breeze.

Looks about the same size too.

Hardcore fan of the band? Let’s start this “Buy a Bogart Body Shirt for Bunk’s Bassist”

Dissecting the Song “Bait”

Bait is a straight up rocker if there ever was one and a perfect single to launch Trashbunk;s career off.

The ominous synth and police sirens clear indicators that something’s coming.

And when it does, it hits you like a punch to the face followed by a shart jab to the kidneys. Seriously, this riff does not let up.

Having known Al a long time, hearing his vocals on this track has made me realize one thing: there’s more to this kid than meets the eye. This is a far cry from his original band, The Wrong Children which sounds very refreshing to the ears.

And then there’s that crushing riff that pummels you to the ground with its groove and doesn’t let up until you reach the adlib.

Oh wait! There’s no adlib.

In lieu of a guitar solo, there’s the pre-recorded vocal track that sounds like it’s coming from a megaphone. I wonder how they’ll pull this off. And yeah since I’m old fashioned, I would have put a short guitar solo here. But then again, it’s not my song and the lack of a guitar solo did manage to keep the momentum on til the end of the track.

Do not. And let me stress this out a little bit more, DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS TRACK WHILE YOU’RE DRIVING.

I almost hit the car in front of me because I was bobbing my head up and down like a rabid metalhead for 3 and a half minutes.

Good job TrashBunk!

The song “Bait” is out now on Spotify and other streaming music platforms.