A taste of Chocolate Beef
SOUNDS FAMILIAR by Baby A. Gil 07/13/2001
Should dinuguan be called chocolate beef in English? Now, although lots of people find both dinuguan and chocolates mighty dishy and their colors are indeed very similar, I still think the idea of using the term chocolate beef as the English translation for dinuguan very, very unpalatable.
If this is the case then what are we to make of a rock band that calls itself Chocolate Beef? Do they have this secret recipe that cooks beef in chocolate? I dont know and no answers are also forthcoming from the members of this new band. Apo Sta. Maria on bass; Ian Sta. Maria on lead vocals; Levy de la Cruz on rhythm guitar and vocals; Bon Sundiang on drums and vocals; and Billy "Gary" Reyes on the lead guitar. All Fine Arts students from the University of the Philippines, these guys just decided to form a band and call it Chocolate Beef because the term sounds good, interesting and definitely extraordinary.
The name Chocolate Beef does sound good, interesting and the competent work in the groups self-titled album debut, makes one wonder of more music goodies that they would be able to come up with in the ensuing years. What I disagree with though is that the sound is also extraordinary. I hear rock in various get-ups in the ten cuts included in Chocolate Beef. There are Pinoy pop-rock ballads and it is mostly made up of punk with hints of the good old Beatles and even occasionally, the Eraserheads.
But barring not being extraordinary aside, what I find most commendable about Chocolate Beef is the fact that the album presents an all-original line up. As long as you have new, young songwriters making their music heard then there will always be hope for our piracy-besieged music industry. Album producer, by the way, is Chito Miranda of the famous Parokya ni Edgar, which is credited with having discovered Chocolate Beef.
I do not think even the greatest gourmet cook in the world can mix beef with chocolate and come up with a masterpiece but the rock mixture that Chocolate Beef serves up could be the beginning of great things to come.
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