We’ve updated our Terms of Use to reflect our new entity name and address. You can review the changes here.
We’ve updated our Terms of Use. You can review the changes here.

kultural guerrillas

by Diskarte Namin

/
  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

    From September-December 2015, all proceeds from downloading the River Song go toward NAFCON’s Adopt A Community Program which uplifts communities throughout the Philippines by providing much needed resources and empowering the Filipino peoples ability to survive and grow in the face of environmental and social challenges.

    For more information about NAFCON's Adopt A Community Program go to: http://nafconusa.org/adopt/
    Purchasable with gift card

      $10 USD  or more

     

1.
River (Chico Redemption) [2002] Do you know how freedom sounds? I said do you know how freedom sounds? It sounds like spirits in the native trees It sounds like thunder from the ground CHORUS Did you know that freedom looks like a river flowing free and strong like how we found each other And yes together we will work, try hard to make life better the way that water carves through stone But we can't do this alone... There's a struggle in those hills You can feel its power still The women take down private property In a peaceful act of the people's will Sha la la la la la la la.......   Can’t you see its boundless force? So strong it won't be moved from course It's the sweetest form of gravity The need for all things to be free CHORUS x 2 SO we will come together and we will build together and we will fight together to be free... to be free. RAP Free like a river when it flows Free like the winds when it blows (you know) To get away far away just away from it all Until the day, free to say no more pistols are drawn and wash away all the pain that my people have felt To lend a hand to those who suffered and they struggle for help Cuz everyday's a new beginning so there's time for a change and while tomorrow stays a mystery our struggle remains Whatever life brings, know together we will make it Everybody needs somebody life is what we make of it and together we will rise we can't do this alone For all my people over here, my people back home Whether here or overseas in the belly of the beast Can't wait for the day the mother land, my people be free We gotta organize and mobilize so we can make you see We come we will build we will fight to be free We can't do this alone No we can't do this alone We can't do this alone No we can't do this alone So we will come together and we will build together Cause we are strong together So we will fight together I said we are strong together So we will fight together Till we win this revolution Till we win this revolution Till we win this revolution Till we win this revolution
2.
100 Years (Isang Siglo) [2001] 100 Years after cheating was signed in a treaty between liars and thieves We wonder what would our country be like if our people had really been free Would our lolos be lonely our women enslaved would we pay for our own rice to eat? Or would families be strong on some land of their own, would we grow all the food that we eat? CHORUS No more of the silence No more will we hide from our past We will fight for a future Where we speak out our pride in our land And we act our pride in our land We’ll take back our land! 100 Years after pipelines were built from America to overseas Now we’re 2 million strong in a land that is rich, with a few opportunities No more little brown brothers sisters no more of this bullshit about backwards friends Now we’re 2 million strong in American means that we all are our homeland’s revenge! CHORUS Tagalog 100 years "Isang siglo" translated by Mike Sotero and “Igan” ng Bayan of DKK Baguio [2002] Isang siglo matapos nilagdaan Ang tratado na mapanlinlang Ano nga kaya ang kahihinatnan Kung malayang ganap ang bayan May lumbay pa kaya, pangamba't kawalan Ng katarungan sa lipunan O sagana kaya ang bawat tahanan Mabuhay sa kapayapaan? KORO: Huwag nang matahimik Huwag na ring magkubil sa dilim Bukas ay panghawakan Itanghal ang sinilangang bayan Kalayaan ng ating bayan Ipaglaban! Isang siglo na nang biyan ng daan Pagsasamantala ng dayuhan Sa Amerika'y nakipagsapalaran Dalawang milyong kababayan Nagsusumikap umahon sa hirap Baya'y baon pa rin sa utang Dalawang milyong silang magsisilbing punglo Sa puso ng ating kalaban KORO
3.
Victory 02:56
It was early in the morning Fresh pot of coffee boilin Out on my front porch What do I see? Front page news claim’n victory Victory! Stand up tall as I face the horizon Bare witness to a new sun risin March’n in the street in sweet harmony Fist in the air claim’n victory Everything will soon be ok I can’t believe the war is over The people are free and ready to come over Sing’n and dancing ready to take over Stand up tall cause we know we belong Pull up the weak till everyone’s strong Ready to build as we face the horizon Bare witness to a new sun risin Firebomb whirlwind rough rugged and tuff Rise up now people cause we had enough Blood sweat an tears for too many years Not another a day a slave or livin ‘n fear So we light em up so we can burn it down Then we pull the plug, Shut em down, shut em down Victory!
4.
There are times When I am one with the field And there are times When the sun soothes my soul In the morning, dusty winds take my pain And in the evening, an old memory fades away CHORUS Your empty promise to provide Food for my family and ways for us to survive So then I spread my wings and fly – From home Now in the Darkness Neons flash, the music starts I dance to rhythms Of a thousand lonely hearts These men between my legs They thrust a million lies But these men between my legs They’re how my children survive CHORUS But if you promise to provide Food for my family and ways for us to survive Well then I’ll spread my wings and fly – Back home Home…. Home…..
5.
Baila Ya! 04:40
Baila Ya! [2008] Come to the dance floor Everybody come and dance No need to be shy If you can move then come and dance It gets lonely when all we have is a big empty space In between us Warm the floor with your body heat Melt into the beat And feel your heart soar With the music in the street CHORUS Baila Ya! X4 Heat is rising From the pavement just like steam Sweat from your body Cools like water from the salty sea It gets lonely When all we have is a big empty space In between us Warm the floor with your body heat Melt into the beat And feel your heart soar With the music in the street CHORUS Life is too short To hide in the shadows Our music will make the wallflowers bloom Midnight turn to noon And fire explode from the moon CHORUS Baila Ya! x8
6.
Desaparacidos [2009] You were always my special one Light up the room for everyone I always felt whole With you by my side Star gazer And always one with the earth One day you blossomed Into this beautiful mighty woman But I began to worry Like any mother would So fierce, brave and strong Quick to tell it like it is Always with a clenched fist Rebellion in your heart [Chorus:] I can still remember The last time I saw you I still call your name a thousand times As if it will bring you home Then the knock on the door came They say you’ve disappeared Your voice was heard Just as I’d always feared Stargazer Beyond your blindfold Are you still seeing the same sky? I’ve long prepared for this But I could never prepare for this In your place I raise my fist With rebellion in my heart [Chorus]
7.
You had your life laid out like a puzzle And everything fit perfectly Work a while, make some money go out east And move back to the Philippines You had your life laid out like a puzzle And everything fit perfectly Work a while, make some money go out east And move back to the Philippines Well…well…why why why? Well…well….why why why? First I – cried and cried Now I – understand That I guess we’re gonna see you… On the other side You had your life laid out like a puzzle Brought worlds together with your song Culture keeper you kept your ancestors dancing You sang harmonies till we had to sing along Like oh…oh… I remember when we were together We’d laugh until the break of dawn Never knowin tomorrow might not come But I don’t know why cuz I can’t believe you’re gone First I – cried and cried Now I – understand That I know we’re gonna see you… On the other side Oooooh…… Gonna see you on the other side, never gonna say goodbye, gonna see you on the other side, never gonna say goodbye So, put on your angel’s wings Go head fly round and check up on things cuz We need your blessings We need your comfort That all we do will continue x4 So shine down on us Please Shine down on us And we’ll see you in our dreams x4
8.
Tondo 05:04
Tondo [2008] I was born in a sqatter’s town Down here in poverty But my mama always sung to me Of our people’s will to be free So lord please don’t look upon me With eyes of disdain or pity Just give me strength and courage tonight ‘Bout to get together and make things right I’ve got my back up against the wall With mountain of false evidence pointed at me But if fighting for my people is a crime, Then guilty oh guilty I will plead I’ve got to pickup pickup pickup what my father left for me I’ve got to getup getup getup now brothers fight to be free I’ve got to pickup pickup pickup what my mother left for me I’ve got to getup getup getup now children unite to be free We aint gonna wait for no false prophecy And we aint got no friends in a high society So get up get up cause there’s no where to turn Ignite the light n fire watch Babylon burn So how long oh how long, shall we suffer in peace? March in arms now for life justice and dignity Katipunan rise!
9.
World Go Blind [2008] I opened up my eyes to see the sun had not arose The morning birds flew down to me They’re hungry My hands were warm where you once held My heart inside your palm Now empty air is all I have Can my own hands hold me? Cuz the feast has turned to famine all the shelves are bare And the bread we used to count on is no longer there The crumbs have blown into the sea [Chorus:] Eye for eye will one day make the world go blind And when we do then we might finally see That you cut the cord Turned me into an orphan child But I raised myself, did it big Now look at me Oh everyone now look at me [Chorus]
10.
Red Fighter 03:56
Her struggles are not in vain Cause the blood of resistance runs through my veins This mountain, is her home Where she tills the soil where her children grow This river carries her people’s dreams Of her past and future seeds The way it is, we will not allow it to be I close my eyes and follow her lead Chorus She carries the weight of the world On the strength of her heart beat She carries the weight of the world On the strength of her heartbeat I will still dance cause i’m not alone I will still laugh cause i’m not alone And i will still love cause i’m not alone Her Struggles are not in vain Cause the blood resistance runs through my veins She resists their wars of genocide And i see a different world through her eyes

about

In 1999, DiskarteNamin arose from the underground of San Francisco’s political organizing and music scenes. One of the only U.S.-based Filipin@ music and movement bands of this generation, Diskarte has rocked shows at rallies and community music venues while also actively organizing in Bay Area communities for immigrant rights and against the wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and at home.

Twelve years later, Diskarte -- along with the likes of Aztlan Underground, Quetzal, Native Guns, Kiwi, Power Struggle and many others -- is known as one of the voices of Bay Area and Los Angeles resistance culture of the 2000s.

San Francisco-born but bred on resistance music from all over the world, Diskarte mixes rock guitar with Latin and hip hop beats, reggae and funk basslines, folk blues and soul vocals, and indigenous influences from the Philippines. The result is a unique “Diskarte” sound that defies traditional music categories.

Diskarte has served as part of the cultural arm for Filipin@ activist groups Committee for Human Rights in the Philippines(CHRP )and BAYAN USA. As a band of “Kultural Guerrillas” - community activists and musicians - Diskarte uses music as a weapon to mobilize, to inspire, and to celebrate that even after 500 years of colonization – Filipin@s are still here.

Not only are we still here, we are growing all over the world. From the Philippines to Singapore to Saudi Arabia, from the UK to Canada to the United States, Filipin@s are a growing diaspora of workers and families separated by imperialism and corporate globalization.

Many of us are fighting for the basic human rights of decent work, fair pay, and cultural, political and economic sovereignty for our people.
Diskarte’s music is for these millions of kababayans, as well as for the millions more fighting for survival and a more just world.

From Chican@ campaigns for cultural sovereignty and immigrant rights, to Indigenous fights for land and water rights; from the decolonization and land rights struggle in Palestine to the ongoing freedom struggle of African Americans; and from the democratic uprisings in the Arab world and beyond to global struggles for migrant workers’ rights and climate justice - Diskarte’s music is inspired by and dedicated to all of these movements for radical change.

credits

released December 10, 2012

DiskarteNamin is made up of 6 kultural guerrillas: Paul Bolick-Mausisa on bass, guitar and vocals; TheBrownCommander on vocals and rhythm guitar; Jen Soriano on vocals, keyboard and hand percussion; Juan Calaf on lead guitar and bass; Tony Daquipa on drums and congas; and Dakota Witka on congas and cajon. The album also features MCs Raymond Saico Castillo of the Kasamas and Jime Salcedo Malo, and kulintang players Ron Quesada of Kulintronica and Ryan Leano. Others who have been part of Diskarte include Mike Cual, The Ricker, Jeff Gunabe, Mia Villanueva and Irene Duller.

The album was recorded and produced by Paul “Pizzaslayer” Bolick Mausisa and TheBrownCommander and mastered by Antonio “Deathalizer” Calaf.

We dedicate this album to the memory of BJ Alisago, Diskarte’s co-lead singer, kulintang player, dancer, tae-bo ninja and best friend. We will not forget you, Manong.

license

tags

about

Diskarte Namin San Francisco, California

In 1999, DiskarteNamin arose from the underground of San Francisco’s political organizing and music scenes. Bred on resistance music from all over the world, we mix rock guitar with Latin and hip hop beats, reggae and funk basslines, folk blues and soul vocals, and indigenous influences from the Philippines. The result is a unique “Diskarte” sound that defies traditional music categories. ... more

contact / help

Contact Diskarte Namin

Streaming and
Download help

Report this album or account

If you like Diskarte Namin, you may also like: