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After 30 years, Al Dimalanta proves punk’s not dead

Throw is Al Dimalanta, Dennis Maniego, Spyk Maniego, Alan Roldan (Contributed photo)

PR practitioner by day, punk rocker at night.

Thirty years after forming the legendary Dead Ends during the nascent punk rock scene of the 80s, Al Dimalanta is still playing with dichotomies.

He has held mild-mannered day jobs as a high school teacher and donned polo barongs at a bank gig.


TOP: Dead Ends in 1987 (Contributed photo). BOTTOM: Drafting Lourd de Veyra in 1996 before the band broke up. (Photo by Fringeevent - Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons)
TOP: Dead Ends in 1987 (Contributed photo). BOTTOM: Drafting Lourd de Veyra in 1996 before the band broke up. (Photo by Fringeevent - Own work. Licensed under Creative Commons)

From Dead Ends to Throw

Today, public relations gives way to seedy bars at night where sweaty hordes slamdance to Throw, the band Al formed in 2001 after Dead Ends broke up in 1996 following the untimely death of his brother Jay.

Dead Ends left behind a legacy of four albums best described by one of its titles, “Mamatay sa Ingay.”

With Throw, Al does vocals and plays guitar with Dennis Maniego on bass, Alan Roldan on guitars and Spyk Maniego on drums.


Punk’s not dead

The seasoned punk band recently unleashed their fourth album entitled “Stand” and by its sound and content, the songs remain the same.

Al Dimalanta agrees. Sort of.

“Punk’s not dead. It went comatose around the millennium but it never died. Throw got going at the turn of the millennium at dire-diretso lang kami hanggang ngayon,” he says.


The rise of punk subcultures

“Nuon, ang eksena Brave New World (concert series), Katrina’s (a weekend punk dive) lang. Mga taga-probinsiya dumadayo pa sa Manila para manood ng punk shows. Ngayon, bukod sa Manila, may punk scene sa Laguna, Bulacan, Tarlac, all the way up North. Malakas din mga fan base nila,” he adds.

Al describes the dominant sound of Laguna and Cavite as macho-core. Northern Luzon rockers bear the strong influence of Pinoy punk heroes Dead Ends and G. I. and Idiots while nearby Bulacan slamdances to old-school punk and hardcore.

High up the Bulacan punk totem pole is T. S. A., a trio with former Throw Ojie Arcega on drums. TSA is short for The Singing Architects and Ojie is a Singapore-based architect who regularly visits the old haunts and friends from his punk rock past.


Politically charged

On the new album “Stand,” Al sings about politically charged themes and issues.

“Ever since naman politically aware na ako. Sumasama rin ako sa mga protest action noon,” he explains.

“My songs basically are reactions to certain things that I care about. Minsan nagpapareho ang tema, kasi ganun at ganun pa rin ang nakitkita ko na nangyayari.”


Ripped from the headlines

He wrote the song “Baboy” after reading about the pork barrel scam. “We Are the Revolution” is not about the armed struggle but about each person’s change from within. “Walk with Me” meanwhile waxes senti with “Remember life gets harder as your goal gets nearer.”

“Stand” salutes the legacy of punk and hardcore, then manages to make sly detours to reggae, old-time rock & roll and loads of melodic riffs.

Al is quick to add that he writes these brave anthemic songs when he’s in his musician mode. By day, his job as PR guy requires him to write copy and periodically produce brochures and annual reports for clients.


Pag banda, banda; pag trabaho, trabaho

“Ang pagbabanda naman, punk rock man or any other music, eh you’re not in it for the money. Yung trabaho that’s what provides for me to earn a living. Dead Ends days pa, I had to provide time for my band and time for my studies. Pag banda, focus sa banda. Pag trabaho, concentrate trabaho. The discipline comes naturally to me, up to now.”

He’s also a blogger for the online version of Kapatid TV network. “It’s a new technology review page pero mababaw ang relasyon sa computer technology. It’s consumer oriented although I know more than the average IT user,” he says.


The
son of a renowned poet

Al, however, has shelved indefinitely his plan to publish a folio of his writings. It’s a hard decision reached after weighing delicate matters close to his heart.

“Disappointed ako sa creative writing community dito. Immediately after my mother died, a promise was made to rename a creative writing center after her. Tapos, di naman nangyari.” Al’s mom was the renowned poet Ophelia Dimalanta.

“Pati yung friends ng mom ko who were rooting that the Center be renamed after her, they just accepted na di na lang matutuloy ang plano. Nabuwisit ako.”

Slamdancing's not dead. (Contributed photo)
Slamdancing's not dead. (Contributed photo)


A mixed audience

It’s in punk rocking 30 years onwards where he lets off steam.

Al is not even thinking he’s an elder statesman to a movement he helped raise from loud to louder to angriest music around town.

“Dun sa album launch, halo na ang audience. May barely out of their teens. Meron din mga old-school na kasama natin nung 80s pa. Walang conscious effort kung sino ang dapat mag-adjust. We’re just presenting our music. Kung makaabot sa kanila, okay. Kung hindi, eh di hindi”


Al’s future is…the blues

What’s he listening to now?

”I love punk. I love hardcore. Ang maganda ngayon, yung punks from the ‘80s bumbanat pa rin. Keith Morris with Off. Jello Biafra on his own.

“I still listen to classic rock. I listen to Jackson Browne. Solo efforts ni Eddie Veder (Pearl Jam singer). I don’t listen to pop too much though. If ever I retire from the scene, I’d probably play the blues.”


To purchase Throw’s album “Stand,” visit their website. For gig updates, like them on Facebook.


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