Offshore Music’s Ely Buendia and Illustrator Rob Cham have collaborated to release a limited edition line of merchandise to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Eraserhead’s fourth studio album, Fruitcake.
In an exclusive media roundtable discussion, the two artists sat down to discuss what it meant to work on such a project and what fans can expect from the collaboration.
Ely especially noted that Rob did a great job in reinterpreting the world of the Fruitcake album, saying, “He's a very creative artist and he has his own style.”
Rob reciprocated the appreciation, emphasizing that his illustrations for the collaboration stem from his longstanding love for the album.
“I’ve had Fruitcake as one of my top albums since I was in high school,” he revealed. “I really wanted to show love to the album and to the artists who made it, ‘cause they left that impact on me when I was younger.”
He then added, “When I got to find a copy of the album, I would listen to it over and over again, and eventually I found the storybook. It’s lived in my head kind of, as a fun musical experience and a fun storybook.”
Fans can expect the collaboration to feature various essential elements of the album. Rob teased that he made sure to include the different characters from Fruitcake, references to other Eraserheads songs, and other things that make Filipino Christmas unique.
On what Rob and Ely hope longtime and newer fans of the Eraserheads take from this collaboration, they both agree that they only want people to revisit the album and its unique story.
“This is something that the band has always wanted to do ever since we started performing and writing songs,” Ely noted.
“We were always fans of musical theater and when we reached our fourth year of the band’s existence, we figured it was the right time to make our ambitions come true.”
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The collaboration will include a limited edition apparel line and a vinyl album release.
It will be released on June 26 during the Offshore Music Bazaar at Thai Mookata, Makati, but will also be available on the Offshore Music Website.
Ely also confirmed that there have been talks on re-publishing the original Fruitcake book with the original illustrator, Cynthia Bauzon.
—by Norah Nocon, PUSH ABS-CBN Intern