ZEROED (I Don’t Know How I Got Myself Into This But I’m Glad It Happened)

CHAPTER 1: Paper, pen, guitar

“Geng check your mail. I finished a song.”

It was recorded via a regular audio recorder so it was really raw and I may even have heard a dog barking in the background. But I was excited. It was the first song that she finished writing after almost a year’s hiatus. While listening to the first part, I was like…oh it’s a happy song.

And then she sang the first line.

“Hello tears, you’re back so soon.”

This song eventually became Track # 5 in the album 0:00:00.

It’s not every day that I get to witness an album unfold before my very eyes. And that’s why I am thankful for those seemingly mundane events that led me to become part of 22 Tango Records – a registered independent record label created by Cebuana singer and songwriter Cattski Espina.

I first heard Hello Tears about 2 years ago. We knew she was going to make a fourth album but we didn’t know when it would happen. We were working on other projects that time and she was even producing an album for Wonggoys.

She was also dealing with life in general and so after Hello Tears, it took more time before she wrote another song. One day I went into her place and I saw a piece of crumpled paper with some words written on it and when I asked if it was another song, she said yes but she couldn’t finish it. That song became Track # 10.

There was also this one time we were in the car and I was falling in and out of sleep but I remembered that she was singing bits and pieces of another (then) unfinished song which became Track # 3.

So...okay. Songwriting is kind of a bitch when the muse refuses to cooperate. (Muse by the way is another track in the album that also took a bit of time for her to finish.) But I was fascinated. I was witnessing up front Stage 1 of making an album: Writing the songs.

What's even more fascinating is knowing the story behind the written song. I used to listen to songs before and speculated on what went through the mind of the writer when she/he was writing them. I even went to songmeanings.com to see how other people interpreted the songs! And here I was, getting all the juicy details, up front, from the songwriter herself.

I actually cannot explain the feeling. She'd pick up her acoustic guitar and share her new song and I'd just listen there and...understand. Not just the lyrics. Not just the words. But the song itself. And its crazy how emotionally attached you get to it when you know.

CHAPTER 2: Recording & Shooting Countdown to ZERO

Monsters was the song that broke her writer's block. (That's Track # 6)

The unfinished songs started to take form. More new songs were written. It was finally going to happen.

Cattski was going back to the studio. And we were not gonna let this happen without documenting it.

It was gonna be tricky. I didn't have a video camera. I had a day job. But the universe is kind and people are kind and so we made it happen. Not a single moment should be missed. The discussions with her co-producer and sound engineer Jad Bantug of 1032 Studios, the actual recording, the second take, the third take, the preview. Heck even the banana and orange breaks! (<---watch the mini-docus so you'll know what I mean)

They'd spend hours in the studio, while I pretended to be invisible and just silently documented everything that our batteries and memory cards allowed us to document. And it was amazing. I could not even begin to explain how tedious the process was, how particular their ears were, how very different (in a good way) the album was gonna be.

I couldn't wait for everybody to hear it.

I mean, listening to her during the songwriting process was already pretty impressive. Listening to the produced tracks, however, was mind-blowing. It was amazing what their genius minds could come up with. I didn't think Hello Tears would sound like that. I didn't think New would sound like that. I didn't think Light would sound like that.

It was overwhelming. And I felt very honored to be allowed inside that sacred place during an actual recording. No wait, not just AN actual recording, but several ones.

Recording took a year.

She had to stop once in a while. Several factors were involved. When it gets stressful -- stop.


 Let the mind rest. Let the voice rest. Let the wallet rest.

Finally it was finished. And it was ready for mastering. That meant the songs had to be sent to California. It was sent to no less than Dave Donnelly of DNAMastering.  Uhm...this guy, Dave, I don't really know him. But apparently, he mastered the albums of music legends like Aerosmith, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blink 182...and of course, just very recently, Cattski. (How cool is that?!)

Chapter 3: The Album Launch

The tracks were ready. Now what? 

Will she produce CDs and sell? Will she just sell it online? Where will she launch her album? How will we do it?

We knew we wanted to launch it but...how?

One afternoon, I got a BBM from Cattski.

"I want to give away my album. For free."

The first thought that came to my mind was --- "Are you crazy??? But you spent so much already!" Then again, I told myself, this is Cattski we're talking about here. Of course it’s not about the money. It has never been about the money.

After that decision, everything just fell into place. The venue. The website for the free download. The people who volunteered to work with her. The sponsors. EVERYTHING just fell into place. And I couldn't help but think --oh my god the universe loves her.

I guess when you love what you do, it will love you back.

The album launch was only by invitation. Aside from the fact that the venue could only accommodate a certain number guests, she also wanted it to be a night where she could share her music to friends and people who have supported her for the past X years.

The album launch was unbelievable. There was so much love in the room. People listened. The lights were fantastic, (Good job, Justin Alfafara) the venue was perfect (Thank you Harolds Hotel) and the crowd was amazing (Thank you to everyone who came!).

0:00:00 (Zero) was finally set free.

(Quick plugging right here: Download Cattski's album for FREE at www.cattski.com. It’s worth the bandwidth, I promise.)

Chapter 4: 0:00:00

Two years, a change in career, some minor conflicts with the Sensei and two (failed) potential boyfriends later...here I am, listening to the brand new album of Cattski.

Obviously, I am in love with the album. Of course, I saw what it went through. I saw the labor pains and how much love was poured into it.

Above all, I am in love with it because her music is sincere.

So listen. She has set the music free, literally.

(Again quick plugging right here: Download Cattski's album for FREE at www.cattski.com.)

It has been 2 years and a lifetime but it has been worth it.

And so, allow me to end this with a line from Cattski's song in her album 0:00:00...

"What you should listen to are songs that make you want to face you fears,

 boost your spirit, learn to fly

And live to inspire..."
-Rock N’ Roll, Track # 11 


(All photos have been grabbed from Cattski's Facebook Account. You can like her FB page here and follow her on Twitter here.)