cueshe [my artist of the week]

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Biography:

Cueshé (read as q-shay) pops out of nowhere

and is ready to mess things up a bit more out here.

Just out of nowhere, this bunch of young men turn themselves in and threat to mess things up for us. No, they're not notorious, but they have a wicked way of making people let their hair down and enjoy themselves. They're not extra ordinary either, they're just regular guys with an extra dose of passion and energy.

You've probably not heard of them before, but they explain, "We're not exactly new, we're just from our own side of town." The band hails from the city of Cebu and back home these guys have gained the crowd's admiration for their explosive stage performances.

But little did they know that aside from being a total rock-house on stage, these guys who call themselves Cueshé have rounded up their best stories in songs and have ventured to complete an album of their own.

Soon to be released under BMG Records in June, their 12-cut all-original debut entitled “Half Empty, Half Full” will take us through a vicarious journey of songs.

Their tracks are straightforward and seems like our own lives are sang out of their lyrics. "There were a lot of things going on in our personal lives while we were writing the songs," they say. Nevertheless, it was a journey made worthwhile as they went the full length to bring out the best of what they could say.

As a result they have come up with an album that is mature in sensibility yet childlike in its honesty. Their sound is masculine, aggressive and intense, yet smooth and even seductive at times. Their alternative and rock influences are evident, but writing good music is what drives their songs.

The name Cueshé is a word they coined themselves. It refers to the state of being cool and okay. And as offbeat as the name is the origin behind it, Cueshé came from the humble banana cue they used to enjoy after jamming sessions as a college band wannabe. It had become such a staple, that it became the inspiration when they thought of finally getting a band name.

It did take years to get them this far. "When you're from out of town, you feel that getting here, where the action is, is such a distant possibility." The 6-member band has camped it out in Manila to get everything ready for some months now. "We're the adventurous type" they say of themselves. "It's a leap of faith." To them there are always risks, "what matters is that you are happy with the choices you make in life."

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papa ruben



RUBEN CABALLERO Vocals/Guitar

Ruben's fascination with the rock and roll started at an early age. "I would stand in front of the mirror and mimic my idols--the way they sang, the way they moved." He said he would watch their video's the whole day and daydream of someday doing it for real.

Singing comes naturally for Ruben. "I was singing since I was a kid." He'd had a radio playing all the time, and he would sing along with it, whatever type of music was played.

But Ruben really loves rock and roll. For a time he was very active in the church band, singing and playing the guitar during services, "I would change the lyrics of popular rock songs to make it fit our religious services and perform them to the crowd's delight."

Ruben now lives his dream.

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papa jay



JAY JUSTINIANI Vocals

Jay is no stranger to second chances. In fact the life he lives today, may have been God's own gift of a second chance after figuring out in a major motorcycle accident 3 years ago. He was bed ridden for almost a year, putting the band's progress in suspension. It happened while the band was closing a record deal at that time. And as God would have wanted it, it did not happen.

"You learn to keep your feet on the ground after falling from so high" he tell us. "Things could run so smoothly and in a split second, everything could be gone." Jay has learned to live in the moment, and this quality about him gives us a positive jolt of life when we see him on stage.

Jay teaches us what it is to be a survivor.

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jhunjie




JHUNJIE DOSDOS Keyboards

Jhunjie learned to play the keyboards at age 7, and like most kids that age, his early introduction to playing a musical instrument would not find use to him for some years. Way back in college he had several bands, but never as a keyboard player. He stood as vocalist and guitarist alternately and like most college bands it never prospered.

But one's true love always lures one back to an affair, and so as the tale goes, he was invited to another band, and this time as keyboard player. Fast forward to Cueshé, Jhunjie now plays with a band he says he truly enjoys: "I'm back at playing the kind of music I really love," "I had to plead to my parents to buy me a keyboard to get started all over again," they agreed and it started snowballing from there on.

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fritz



FRITZ LABRADO Bass

Fritz plays the bass and also plays the role of the band's father figure. Not that he's the biggest in terms of size, which he is, but because he makes it a point to put things in order. "I'm like that, even at home," he explains. Its a trait he said that he inherited from his late father. "It's not something I really liked about him, but it has become so much part of me. I can't shake it off."

Fritz is also a hesitant songwriter. He admits that he had been writing songs long before he was ever asked to write for the band. He was writing songs on his own, but kept it to himself. "When we had to come up with our demo, I decided to let the band hear them." One of his songs, Sorry, is an ode to his late father. It's all from the heart he says.

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jovan



JOVAN MABINI Guitar

If not for a volleyball accident, Jovan might have been walking a different path today. It was an accident at the ball game that cause him to fracture his left arm "I couldn't carry heavy stuff and play around as much as I used to with the fracture," he says. So he used the time recovering from the injury improving his guitar chops. He was 13 then. Before that happened he didn't play like he does today, not at all by near, but such twist of fate did nurture his passion with his ax.

"I learned to play the guitar on my own," he tells us, "I had to borrow a guitar from my friends while I was learning." His uncles were guitarists too, but never would they lend him their wears, so Jovan would sneak into their houses to play the guitars and put them back just before they returned.

"They're really proud of me now." He says that it's not much what he's achieved that boosts him, it's the fact that he made something out of himself by doing something he really loves. And that is to play his guitar.

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mike



MIKE MANALOTO Drums

It's not always the story of a fall that makes one better. It's the perseverance and the determination of getting back on one's feet that merits an applause. And true enough this former band kick-out turns things around and goes for the big time. "I was booted out from my first band because they said I wasn't good enough." Mike relates the experience with half a grin on his face. "That motivated me to really give it my 100%".

So he decided to form a new band with a new set of members that eventually led to Cueshé. Mike offers no apologies for that chapter of his life. "Everyone starts from somewhere and for most it starts down there."

Mike now takes it to another level and this time as a songwriter. He says that you draw a lot of inspiration from all sorts of things you go through. "It's not about proving anything anymore, its about loving what you do and being honest about it."

[generation]

pareng jovin galing mong mag compose the best ka go go cueshe

[popster_ace]

i love jay...

oh my jay... you're so yummy...

ace_luvs.yummy~JAY

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hahaha...

ei Lover girL ni jay...

you want the mineral water???

hahahahahaha...

RUBEN LOVE YOU FOH EVAH!

[popster_ace]

oo body...

bigay mo sa akin yung isang mineral water nya pls...

wahahahah

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san dun seoul?

hahaha.. yung may Laman pa? o yung inubos nya???

hahaha... wag na asa panyo mo na yung pawis niayh eh... baLato mo na Lang yung Laway nya saken! mas madaming pathogen yun... yuck...

erzzzz....

=p

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MY ROCK ROYALTY[/b]

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woooohoooo kyut ni ruben da hoh...

bagong Ligo! =p

[generation]

jay at ruben?waaaaaaaaa ayos ah..hehehe cute silang lahat parang ako?waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa