A Nice "Thank You" From a Good Friend

I am humbled and privileged to have had some influence on this man's life. Thank you for your acknowledgement Donnee!

I read Marc Tupaz' note on Facebook and he talked about two people that have somewhat influenced him and his musical career path. Reading it made me smile. I hope it makes you smile too!

Fellas... read on below!

Twist of Fate and Contrasting Mentors
by Marc Tupaz

Those who have known me for a long time know that i started my singing career as a soloist. Little did i know at the time that two contrasting personalities would shape my career in a weird twist of fate. As a soloist, there were many words one could use to describe what i was as a singer. Sucks, Lost, Raw,Talentless,Stubborn,Lazy were all among the equation.

Rockstar number 1: I met rockstar number 1 one night at Bedrock in Malate. My 1st impression, What a jerk! hahaha but if there's any truth to the saying 1st impressions last then it is very untrue in this case. You could see right away that he was very good with his craft and enjoyed the limelight very much. He never ran out of ideas and wether some good and some are bad, he had enough talent to make it work.

Rock star 1 is better known as INTROVOYS drummer/ Actor, Paco Arespacochago or Enrico as we call him. Most people would say that he is a love him or hate him kinda guy and i love this guy like a brother. I was starting out my band at the time that i met him i think way back in 2001 and when he heard i was planning to put up my own band it almost seemed he was more excited than i was. Always vivacious and full of life, Paco always offered advice whether or not i wanted to hear it. The hardest thing for a young singer at the time was to be told what your flaws were but without saying it straight out, i knew what he was saying. Instead of telling me that our set was bad, he would tell me that there was something wrong with our lineup. Instead of saying that i sucked, he said music is hard and there's alot to be learned. But i knew what he was talking about. With Paco i learned to have a controlled amount of angst.. just enough for my personality. He enjoyed music so much that he wanted me to feel that joy for myself by pushing me with encouraging words. If he ever had anything bad to say about my singing or performance at the time i would never hear it. Instead he would break down what i can improve on future performances. With Paco i learned to be confident, and with a guy like him he had alot of confidence to spare hahaha no pun intended. Paco didnt mentor my singing but he mentored my feelings and outlook. Under his tutelage i can say i was half ready to take on the showbiz world. Best Paco Arespacochaga quotes: " Kahit nagkakamali ka na sa stage kailangan pogi ka parin!" 2. " Ang galing natin kanina Donnee. and of course my favorite quote.. 3. Harald and Paco having a conversation: Paco-" Harry, drumming is like having sex. You have to look sexy doing it. Kinda like having sex with a woman." Harald- "........." Paco- "You have had sex right?" Harald- "uh.. no" Paco-"......." " How about masturbation? Do you masturbate?"

Exodus: It was Paco's bday and there was a party at the famous compound. (Paco's apartment compund). Everyone was drinking including yours truly. I met Ira Cruz for the first time and everyone was either loud, rowdy or drunk. Then i was introduced to Rock star number 2.

Rockstar 2: Was quiet, cool and calmly drinking his beer when i was introduced to him. This is Wency Cornejo as Paco introduced me to the quiet intimidating man drinking his beer. I said, I know him. He's the singer of After Image i told Paco. Paco bit confused asked me.." How do you know After Image when you grew up in the states and not know Introvoys songs till you met me?" " I don't know" was my answer but i did know because i heard After Image songs in the U.S. Wency mentioned to Paco that he needed a backup band for his solo gigs because Color It Red was abroad so Paco offered my band. Wency in many ways is different from Paco and he would probably add that they are very different. We backed up Wency for a couple of his shows and during the drinking sessions after the shows i saw it as my opportunity to ask away my heart's desire better ways to improve myself. Unlike Paco, Wency rarely offers advise unless asked and ask away i did. During countless drinking sessions, I learned more about the quiet man who was oozing with talent and his songs, how he writes them,the meanings,the heart and experiences that make this quiet man as loud as he can be onstage and or when writing songs. It's funny how most of wency's advice contradicts whatever i learned from Paco. Confused as i was i slowly realized that music in all aspects is a contradiction that's why it's so wonderful. I learned how two different people as Wency and Paco are in the extreme, can make things work their own way. This is the point in my life when you could throw out the word "lost" from the list of words to describe me as a singer.Wency in a weird twist of fate completed what Paco started especially now with Paco living in the U.S. My favorite wency quote will always be " I'm proud of you." For a man of few words when it comes to those kind of things, It was worth a million words of encouragement.

My two brothers, two mentors, opposite sides of the world now. Without either of you, There will be no Marc Tupaz of Shamrock. Your legacies in the music industry will always be remembered. But your impact on me will never be forgotten. Sucks, Lost, Raw,Talentless,Stubborn,Lazy may or may have not been totally removed from the equation, but thanks to these guys and my bandmates atleast i know i improved and still am improving. Cheers to you guys! Shamrock's latest unreleased album is now part of your legacy also.