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My belly is so distended and I don’t think I’ll be able to finish this blog post today.
So, I’m just gonna write down what I can today (Aug 3, 2025).
Reconnecting is Good
I finally went to see Tala Café to meet up with Alkhaliif because he wanted to catch up. I went there and was delighted to see Zyl, another kid I haven’t seen for a long time. Apparently, his family owns it.
The two were messing around with a PRS guitar and a pedalboard full of pedals that I barely recognize.
They eventually packed it up and Al and I started talking about his band Trashbunk.
It seems like they’re doing very well.
Al was always going to be a success and I kinda knew that ever since I first met him back in 2016?
Geez, almost ten years ago.
Kid’s got spunk and knows what he wants.
He’s had several bands from Wrong Children to Cupheads to Trashbunk. His past bandmates didn’t have his drive which is a shame because all of his bands have shown great promise.
I’m glad this current one, Trashbunk, is taking him closer to his dream of being a pro musician.
Mall Hopping for Beef Bone
After our conversation, we went Grocery shopping for beef because I was planning to cook some beef soup for him. We went to a lot of groceries because they didn’t have the beef bone I was looking for.
We went to SM Lanang, Robinsons, Gasano, Victoria… we couldn’t find any beef bones.
Since we weren’t able to buy any beef bone, I just settled for some beef shanks and headed home.
It took about an hour to prepare the ingredients and another hour and a half to pressure cook the beef so Al had to spend some time talking with my son who asked him all sorts of questions.
After that, we ate and I drove Al home still talking about his band and their achievements.
I’m genuinely happy for the kid.
I know what it’s like to have your musical dreams fulfilled and he’s about to realize his.
And now I’m tired and I’d like to get some shuteye and continue this blog post at a later time.
Continuing this Blog Post
Okay… so where was i?
Sheesh, I can’t believe I let 3 days pass before I got back to this.
I have some time to kill before I log in for work.
So, what did I do musically today?
Oh, I know, I experimented with my PSS-A50 today by hooking it up to my analog pedals. I was able to make some pedals work but for the most part I just got some hissing sounds from the amp.
I’m missing something.
Maybe a MIDI connection or something.
My Yamaha PSS-A50
I bought my Yamaha PSS_A50 about two years ago.
I bought it after I parted ways with Talib Band. I joined them as a keyboardist but I wasn’t able to buy one on time and just spent the entire time with them playing support guitars.
I had a great time playing classic OPM and dressing up like Mike Hanopol minus the beret. All I needed was a Steinberger and I’d be set.
But I joined them to be a keyboardist and I felt bad that I couldn’t buy my own instrument then.
So when I went to Manila, I bought the Yamaha PSS-A50 because it was affordable and that was all the money I had then that I could spare for a musical instrument.
Is the Yamaha PSS-A50 a Good Instrument?
For something so small, the Yamaha PSS-A50 sure packs a lot of features.
First there’s the arpeggiator that I really love because it frees me up to do other things while playing this instrument. It’s not perfect though but it’s a good start.
It has 37 keys which is more than enough for me to accompany myself as I sing or make short song ideas with. I actually use this more than my guitar because it is easier to just turn on and play with.
No need to connect to a separate amp since it has an onboard speaker.
There are many voices and there’s a record function. It can essentially work as your looper so you can work on ideas with this “toy”.
And it also has a drum machine. Yey!
Watch Keen on Keys and you’ll see just how much potential this simple, little keyboard has.
Keytar Dreams
Now I’ve always wanted to have a keytar but budget constraints won’t let me.
Plus the Sonogenic SHS-500 is a disappointing piece of equipment after thoroughly researching it. I’m glad I didn’t buy it or I’d have massive buyer’s remorse if I did. It’s not cheap at Php 17,000.00.
And the Roland Ax-Edge is beyond my budget at Php 80,000.00.
So, the next best thing is to design my own keytar. I’m looking at my Yamaha PSS_A50 and it has potential if I just find my heat gun and the right pieces of PVC.
I’ll also need a power bank so that I don’t have to constantly rely on AA batteries to power my keyboard up.
I could have the handle 3D printed. I wonder how much that’ll cost me in terms of buying the filament so my cousin can print it out for me.
I’ll try to document that when I get around to creating my “keytar”.
Getting the Itch to Go Back Onstage
I’ve been slowly getting the itch to go back onstage but my daily responsibilities have stopped me form doing so.
Talking to Khaliif has sparked something within me.
Something musical.
I should go talk to my bandmates in Acidradius and see how they feel about getting back together to practice or write songs.
Maybe we can get our stuff together and be ready to open for Trashbunk when they finally release their album.