Essential Punk Records from the Philippines: Half the Battle’s “What We Have”

Essential Punk Records from the Philippines: Half the Battle’s “What We Have”

What We Have (released in compact disc and vinyl in 2009 by Just Another Day Records from Belgium)

After discovering the New York hardcore scene of the mid-1980s, I became a fan of two bands – Youth of Today and Gorilla Biscuits. While I wasn’t a vegan (still am not), I lived – and still do – a squeaky clean life. I drink like once in a century so you know it’s rare and I definitely did not take any drugs. I opt for a quiet life and definitely support animal rights. Plus, I like the power of positivity.

Imagine my surprise at knowing that we had one too although decades apart from the original NYC scene.

I only discovered Half the Battle eight years after the album (they previously had a three-way split CD with Feud and Play) came out. By then the band had broken up with lead singer and guiding force, Easy, having gone back to the United States.

I think it’s cool because I don’t know of any other expat who fronted a local rock outfit. I do recall from my youth a white chick fronting this classic rock act that played in bars in the early 1980s. For the life of me I don’t know her name or even that of her band. Suffice to say, I was transfixed and had this mega-crush on her. Well, any girl who belts out Led Zep songs with the ferocity of Robert Plant is okay in my book.

Nevertheless, Easy fronted a band composed of Papao on guitars, Rommel on bass, and Puso on drums. And conferring with some friends in the local punk rock scene, they concur… “What We Have” is a landmark underground album not only because of its multi-ethnicity but also for its blistering straight edge attack.

“Take A Chance” opens the manifesto that is “What We Have”. And throughout album, the band offers inspiring words against the backdrop of a sonic fury. There’s an urgency to the message. Instead of a kick to the butt, Half the Battle opts to aim for your heart and mind.

You headbang to the music but you pay have to definitely pay attention to the words. At times, Easy reminds me of a younger Zach dela Rocha of Rage Against the Machine. However, rather than rattling off words of revolution with machine gun fury, Easy prefers to bludgeon you with messages of looking at life from a different perspective. Rather than mope, you can do something about the challenges you are facing.

And instead of resorting to violence (“Higher Learning”) there is another way – a peaceful one. And if someone ends up disappointing you, you still have his back. But it’s perfectly all right to express your annoyance. And that makes “Sellout Song #41,228” one of the coolest songs with cuss words.

“I’ll be there but please bear with me. This came as a surprise and I couldn’t help my immediate reaction: Oh, my fucking God! Bwisit. Puñeta! You fucking sold your soul!”

Move over, “Pare ko”, Half the Battle is here.

Whether too late or not, the album’s positivity and its promotion of good clean fun isn’t dated at all especially considering these dark times we live in.

I spoke with musician Darwin Dacanay who drew the rad cover of Half the Battle’s full-length debut from a concept by Easy, where hardcore kids were battling the system that is represented by a robot and he, like me, believes that this band is one of the more important underground bands to hit at that time. That includes Sauna and Bystorm.

Indeed. And so is this… this is what we have – an essential album in Pinoy Punk Rock history.