First Of Summer

When I saw Urbandub's post on FB saying that last night could be their last gig, I felt broken. Terribly broken. Broken for many reasons with many questions. Why on a weekday? (I work in a BPO btw.) Why the late announcement? And the very simple, WHY?

The memory of my first Urbandub experience is still vivid. I was on my bed, wearing my earphones, listening to NU107 while doing my accounting assignment, then Russ introduced the next song. I wasn't paying that much attention to the music and the only reason I plugged in my MP3 player was so that I wouldn't hear the cries of my nephew. But when the song reached it's chorus, I found myself nodding along the music and tapping my book with my pencil. Right then and there did I fell in love with the song and then cursed myself for not paying attention to the dj and that I have to wait for it to be played again so I would know who the artist was. And ofcourse, they did play it again. I went on to search for the band name on the internet and was shocked to know that this eargasmic sound came from Cebuanos. Major WTF moment! I honestly thought that they were foreign because they sound so good!

The following day, I shared my experience to a good friend of mine and I was dumbfounded that she already knew the band and had been listening to them since 2006. She gave me copies of their album, and oh boy was I happy. Ever since then, Urbandub has been my playlist from going to school, break times, library moments, going back home, and even while I sleep. Obviously, I play them 24/7 and I never got tired from listening.

I think it was 2009 when I first seen them live. They were the main act for our annual student's night. Despite the huge crowd, my friends and I chose to stay in front so we could have the possibility of reaching Gab's arm or say Hi to Lalay. We were those kind of fans. I could even remember myself crying all throughout Soul Searching. Broken hearted yata ako that year.

Moving on, I was one of the many Dubista fans who was greatly affected when the band announced that they will disband, that Lalay and Janjan will no longer play and will focus on their families. Never have I thought that their run will end this early. For me, it always feels like they've only started and I am still craving for more. But when I saw that Gabby & John are still doing gigs as Urbandub, (I even got to watch them a couple more times this year) I thought that "Hey, maybe there is still Urbandub. Maybe they'll still go on and pursue. Maybe they'll find a permanent bassist and drummer." But all of those maybe-s were shattered by John's post last Sunday. Oh the tears, and this is no exaggeration, I really did cry.

Many of you would reference other bands for saving your teenage life. (I always see that when Kurt's death anniv is being celebrated. "Kurt saved my life") For me, it was Urbandub. Their heartfelt lyrics have been imprinted on many situations I've surpassed. I will forever hold onto these memories and will keep their records for the kids to listen to.

With all these said, let me say Thank You, Urbandub. Thank you for sharing your music to us. Thank you for being an inspiration to the young ones who are aspiring to be as good as you guys. Thank you for supporting & guiding the newcomers in the music industry. Thank you for being a part of our lives. Thank you. I hate to think that your gig last night was goodbye so here's to our never ending First of Summer! We love you!