June 2007 Archives

THANKS to fellow Soundtrip blogger Lawrence Casiraya, I was able to discover Lunarin, an alternative rock band based in Singapore. While we were in Singapore, Lawrence gave me a CD sampler of the band's songs, which included two versions of the song called "Absolution": one features powerful guitar riffs while the other had a haunting mood and an unforgettable piano lick. You can listen to this song on their MySpace, actually. The band is composed of Linda Ong (lead vocals, bass), Ho Kah Wye (guitars, vocals), and Loo Eng Teck (drums, percussions, piano, vocals). What's interesting about this band is that they're all working professionals. This is a "side project." But based on the quality of their music (and the superb recording), this band is Asia's upcoming bands that you have to watch out for. They're good. On their MySpace profile, Linda Ong has been compared with Tori Amos. Excerpt:

If Lunarin had to choose to deliver a message with the music, it would be that contrasting elements can and do work. The band's biggest breakthrough was perhaps to balance melodic female vocals with hard-hitting riffs and drumbeats, while at the same time, to indulge themselves in a myriad of styles reminiscent of art-rock and metal. Contradiction should have been the band's moniker. Described by music journalist Sujin Thomas as "Tori Amos on acid", the band's brand of dark and heavy music has been described as "Tool meets Kate Bush"; "Tori Amos fronts A Perfect Circle" and has been likened to the dark soundscapes of 4AD bands by music critics and radio deejays. Indeed, it is not difficult to see why the music of Lunarin has evoked extreme reactions from listeners. The music has been capable of arousing a deep sense of anger and bitterness in naysayers. It has also been capable of evoking great feelings of sadness and ambivalence in the lovers and supporters of the music. Given the manner in which the songs are written and delivered, it is impossible to be neutral about Lunarin -- the songs take you hostage, sometimes even when you don't want to.

THIS will be on June 28, 29 and 30 at the Bonifacio High Street (near Market Market), according to one of the owners Jane Walker, who is also the CEO of Level Up! Philippines. (Thanks, Jane!). Here's her e-mailed invitation:

We've been on "soft" for the past few weeks to iron out the kinks and now we're ready to go: Mag.net Cafe Bonifacio High Street will launch at the end of this month!

Because of the diverse musical styles found in Mag:net Café we're doing a 3-day event:- 28 th will see the start of Chillaxin' Thursdays ... a Jazzy & Bossa night that has been packing the place over the past weeks. 29th we'll be lightin' up Dreadly Fridays... our regular Reggae night that barely leaves enough room to dance when the likes of Indio-I hit the stage! 30th is a full moon where this all began: Orange and Lemons will be joining us as part of their O&L Bar Tour to cut loose Big Guns Saturdays where only the best bands on the Manila gig circuit get to play. There'll be lots of bands and we'll start the live music at 8.00 p.m. Expect the place to be packed each night so best to arrive early to bag a seat. Arriving early will also give you a chance to try the menu created by chef Kathy Avecilla and consultant chef Booj Supe. The superb dishes have already created a regular crowd who return as much for the food as for the music. Best to reserve for dinner as early as now since the tables often get filled with early evening diners. Oh ... and for interesting cocktails be sure to say "hi" to Wendy your friendly barman.

For more info call Jet or Kat at +63 2 856-3400 or e-mail them at magnetcafe.bhs@gmail.com.

HERE'S a video of Pupil's "Set Me Apart" music video that Animax provided to Soundtrip and iVDO. Cool, huh? Here's the blurb provided by Animax:

Asia’s leading youth channel, Animax, strongly believes in daring to be different, going beyond the ordinary and standing out in one’s own style. This is why Animax has selected hot Filipino alternative-rock band, Pupil, to create an original song exclusively for the channel that accurately reflects this message. Copyrights: (c) 2004 - 2007 SPE Networks-Asia. All rights reserved.

By Gerry Plaza INQUIRER.net A CO-MANAGER of the band Rivermaya confirmed frontman Rico Blanco's departure from the group, however, not without expressing disgust over the singer’s statement in his “letter of resignation.” “We confirm that Mr. Rico Blanco has written us a letter of resignation from Rivermaya. We are unable to give an explanation for this action since Mr. Blanco’s statements are inconsistent with the facts. For the record, Mr. Blanco did not make any announcement of his leaving Rivermaya “as early as 2005”, or in 2004 or 2006, for that matter,” a statement from the band signed by Lizza Nakpil, Rivermaya co-manager, said. “On the contrary, he actively participated in and benefited from our plans and activities, not to mention the record-breaking number of awards, local and foreign concerts and endorsements during those years,” the statement added. The statement bewailed Rico’s assertion against his ties with his managers. “While our artist-management contract was automatically and validly renewed, the same letter contains a bewildering and inaccurate declaration that neither Mr. Chito S. Roño nor I have been his managers since 2003,” the statement said. “’Inexistent and of no force and effect’ were his words to describe a relationship that has spanned 14 years since the start of his career in the music business,” it added. According to the statement, Rivermaya had done its best to dissuade Rico from leaving the group. “…we have done our best to deal with the situation with professionalism and to dissuade Mr. Blanco from pursuing a rash course of action, that would delay if not cost all of us our successful entry into the international market. Unfortunately, and despite our best efforts, Mr. Blanco has decided that he no longer shares our vision of a Rivermaya that can spread its wings into Asia,” the statement read. The statement further said that Rivermaya management had no idea of Rico’s plans and their course of action after the singer-composer’s departure. “Mr. Blanco has not made it plain as to what he plans to do next and we have not been able to correctly assess our options or courses of action to take, given his leaving the band,” the statement further said. Despite Rico’s exit, Rivermaya will not disband, the statement said. However, it would still need to finalize their plans in facing this “monumental” challenge as it said, “No one member of Rivermaya is greater than the whole.” “Be that as it may, Rivermaya is not ready to turn its back on its fans and the many relationships we have built in the Philippines and in the rest of the region,” the statement stressed. INQUIRER.net tried to reach Rico but the singer-composer was unavailable for comment.

HERE are two clips from the iVDO online video service we launched in partnership with Yahoo! Both are live performances from IP e-Games' Dom1Nation first anniversary celebration on April 28 at Le Pavillon, Roxas Boulevard. Here's Slapshock performing "Adios," the signature song of the online game Supreme Destiny. And here's Do'Ahou performing anime songs.

OK, sorry 'coz this is a bit of shameless plugging since I'm one of the writers who contributed an essay to this anthology, along with fellow Soundtrip blogger Erwin Oliva, but man, nakakataba ng puso ang ginawang video nitong fan na ito :) I'm talking about "Tikman Ang Langit: An Anthology on the Eraserheads," the very first book on the Philippines' own Fab Four. This book was made possible by our fellow journalists Melvin Calimag of Manila Bulletin and Jing Garcia of Manila Times, who dreamt of coming out with an Eheads book and worked their asses off to make it come true. The anthology is edited by Ces Rodriguez.   Here's the video on YouTube. The book is available at National Book Store and Powerbooks for P180 (tama ba mga p're, hehe), though I hear it's sold out in some branches. You could also buy copies at Taberna Ocho, a bar along Maginhawa Street in Sikatuna Village, Quezon City. Check out their blog for the address and contact info. Mabuhay ang Eheads!

A FRIEND who has come to the Philippines for a vacation with her British husband asked me recently to find a place where they play good old rock music. For a moment, my mind went blank. Then I had brief glimpses of the bars in Olongapo. But that's years back. I could not remember any bars now in Manila where the classic rock tunes of Led Zep, Jimi Hendrix, or Creedence Clearwater Revival are played. She suggested we check out one place, but I told her quickly that I had to do some research. So off I went surfing today and I found a couple of familiar places to go. Here are some places I found based on my quick search on the Internet. saGuijo: Some people call this place the new Club Dredd but I dare not venture into another debate on this topic. I've been to saGuijo several times. I heard local and foreign bands play there. Some are good, while the others, well, enough said. saGuijo is now three years old. This place is cozy. It is easy to literally bump into people. There was one night where the only place I could stand and watch a band was from the entrance of the men's room. But the saGuijo website looks impressive, not to mention the well-written articles. If you're hunting for indie Pinoy music, saGuijo is the place to go. But it does feature the more popular and younger (with emphasis on the younger) Filipino bands. Mayric's. Finding this old hangout for UST students and Pinoy rock bands on the Internet was a challenge. The bar's website looks, well, outdated. I was trying to find the gig skeds this week. But all I can find is an update dated December 11, 2006. Hmmm. 70s Bistro. This place brings back a lot of memories. Judging from the place's website, 70s Bistro seems to have not lost its luster. I liked the 70s feel of the website and the one-liner that greets visitors: "Where You Can Be Who You Are." The website features an updated gig schedule, just like saGuijo's. The list of bands playing in this place is solid. You can catch The Jerks, a band that most Pinoy rock afionados are familiar with. Of course, you have the familiar ones: Orange and Lemons, Itchyworms, Callalily, Silent Sanctuary, 6 Cycle Mind, Imago, Sandwich... the list goes on. What's good about their website is the food list. At least you have an idea what to eat. But do you still have time to eat when you're favorite rock song is on deck? Well, I do, haha. I've also thought of finding more information about Hobbit House in Malate, Manila where yours truly was able to perform a blues gig with a band I played with for a year. But I found mixed reviews about the place. So it is best to call the place before dropping by and see if there are good blues and rock gigs happening. Hobbit House features Pinoy folk singers, and some Filipino blues bands. But that was years ago. You can always check the other place called Cowboy's Grill. If you want to catch Wally Gonzales (former guitar slinger of the legendary Juan de la Cruz Band) and his band, you will find him in Chaquico's Musician's Bar in Makati Ave., Makati this month, and on June 30 at the 19 East Bar and Grill in Sucat. If you have more places you think we should be visiting, please do share. Rock on!

ENTERTAINMENT columns are abuzz with the departure of Rico Blanco from Rivermaya. On Thursday, a friend was raving about having witnessed what was supposed to be the band's last gig at Metro bar -- which I read about in the papers Friday morning. Rico does deserve a place in the pantheon of local rock icons, if only for those songs he created that appeal to a generation of music fans. "Awit ng Kabataan" ranks in my list of seminal songs that evoke the feel of a certain era, alongside After Image's "Next in Line" or Juan de la Cruz Band's "Ang Himig Natin." But going back to Rico, the question really is what will he do next? Will he form his own band like Ely Buendia's Pupil? Will he create his own electronica side project like Ben Gibbard? The guy's known to be a music whiz so that won't be a surprise. (Not too many people know he used to compose commercial jingles for a living). And the fact that frontmen usually just reincarnate their musical careers in another form is a given; take for example, Ely or Bamboo. Rico (and by extension Rivermaya 2.0 fronted by him) had his share of detractors branding him as too pop for comfort. Or that the band was ripping off the sound of UK bands like Coldplay or even Snow Patrol. I remember a discussion with a journalist-friend about Rivermaya being a "manufactured" band from the start -- its members handpicked and not forged by friendship that make for colorful stories of how great bands were formed, like, again, the Eraserheads. So what lies ahead for Rico Blanco? The guy's mug is all over lifestyle pages lately designing and endorsing clothes for a local label. Maybe the artist in him wants to pursue other art forms. As for the rest of Rivermaya, there are talks about a reality show ala Rockstar INXS (maybe that Fil-Australian guy can win this version, huh?). My fearless forecast, though, is that Rico will still make music. With the rise of so-called pogi-rock bands that desperately try to sound sentimental but lack enough substance, the older fans deserve some musicality a guy like him can provide.