Sunday, December 18, 2022

Freestyle

Freestyle





Side A
Goodluv
Not That Easy
Wanna Be The One
Before I Let You Go
Let's Get It On

Side B
I'm Gonna Love You
So Slow
Treat You So Right
Get With Me
Bakit



Freestyle is a pop/R&B band from the Philippines, currently a solo project of Top Suzara since 2022. The band was formed in 1996 and hit the mainstream in 1998, and is popular for the songs "Before I Let You Go", "So Slow", "This Time", "Till I Found You", "Para Sa 'Yo", "Once in a Lifetime", and their rendition of "Bakit Ngayon Ka Lang?".

The band was founded by former guitarist Tat Suzara in Davao City. Notable members include vocalists Jinky Vidal and Top Suzara, the band's primary songwriter, who left the band in 2011 and 2005 respectively and went on to have solo careers. Post-Freestyle, Vidal and Top Suzara had a reunion concert together in 2013. Other notable members were vocalists Joshua Desiderio, Mike Luis, Ava Santos, and drummer Gerald Banzon who were with the band until its final batch in 2022.

In mid-2022, after the final lineup disbanded, Top Suzara took over and continued the "Freestyle" brand as a solo project accompanied by session musicians. Suzara had his first comeback performance as Freestyle at 19 East in October 2022 in a sold-out gig. Suzara also trademarked "Freestyle" in the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) solely under his name. The IPO ruled that "Freestyle" is synonymous with the name Top Suzara and is deemed the rightful owner.

-wiki

Sunday, December 11, 2022

Zild

Huminga



Side A
Huminga
Apat
Bungantulog
Paalam Mahal
Jyusi

Side B
Hari
A Love Song
Glyndel
Wala Nang Kumakatok
Hele





Daniel Zildjian Garon Benitez (born April 23, 1997), popularly known as Zild, is a Filipino musician, producer, and singer-songwriter. He is currently the lead vocalist, pianist/keyboardist, synth player and bassist of IV of Spades.
On August 13, 2016, Benitez joined a music competition named "Music Hero" in the noontime show Eat Bulaga!. He originally won the "Bass Hero" title, but due to IV of Spades' rise to fandom, he and his bandmate, Blaster Silonga, who also won the "Electric Guitar Hero" title, left their titles and gave it up.
On June 12, 2020, Benitez released the music video of "Sinungaling" on YouTube. Few weeks later, he also released "Dila", along with its music video on July 9, 2020.[9] On August 6, 2020, he released his debut solo album titled "Homework Machine". It features "Sinungaling" and "Dila" which were released beforehand.

Benitez signed an artist management contract with Rico Blanco's label/management Balcony Entertainment.

On February 10, 2021, Benitez released "Kyusi" with its music video on YouTube. Weeks later, he released "Apat" on February 25, he also revealed that "Kyusi" and "Apat" will be part of his upcoming album titled "Huminga", which was released on April 8, 2021.

According to his Spotify profile, Benitez started to produce his own songs using the isolation time from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In August 2022, Benitez officially signed with UMG Philippines thru Island Records Philippines label.





Ciudad

Ciudad




Side A
Monica
Get You Closer
My Emptiness
With Me
Caught Me At The Worst Time
Friday Noon


Side B
Turn Your Eyes
Mend
Until It's Cool
There's A Lonely Road To Sunday Night
Dance Lessons





Ciudad is a Filipino rock band, started in 1994 when 13-to-14-year-old sophomore high school classmates Mikey, Jeff, Justin and Mitch grouped together to make a song for their Social Studies homework. Having lots of songs written after that project, the group decided to continue the band and went on to infiltrate the underground rock scene in Manila with their happy bubblegum rock with seemingly nonsensical lyrics.

Ciudad got their break in 2000 when they released their first album Hello! How are you, Mico the Happy Bear? under Sony BMG Music Entertainment which spawned the singles "Sipilyo," "Radio Guy," and "With Me."

In 2002, the boys decided to go independent and bought their own recording equipment to record their second album. Is That Ciudad? Yes, son, its me was released in 2003 and earned them nods from critics and music-lovers all around. The album revealed a different, more-mature, and less-saccharine-happy side to Ciudad with tender and heartrending melodies with "Dance Lessons," "Make It Slow," and "Dessie Belle." However, the band didn't abandon their tongue-in-cheek catchy pop sensibilities with songs like "Monica (Karl's Fantasy)," "Mascot (Justin's Revenge)," and "The Herb."

In 2005, the band finished work on their 3rd album Its Like a Magic which is a collection of old songs they wrote around 1994-1998 before they went on to write and record those released in their first album in 2000. The band is currently at work on their 4th album.

-wiki, last.fm




Shiela And The Insects

Flowerfish





Side A
Maybe Only Maybe
Maude
Violet
Quick To Panic
Luna Grace

Side B
Happenstance
Lemerson
The Disco Machine
Just In Case
Clever As You






“Flowerfish”, the 4th album of Cebu-based alternative band Sheila and the Insects, is out once more in vinyl.

Although their second album “Plastic Eyes Static Minds” saw them introduced to a Metro Manila audience on the strength of the song “Everyday Drive,” it was “Flowerfish”, originally released on compact disc in 2005, that cemented Sheila and the Insects as one of the top bands in the country and not just in Cebu.

“It was a good choice and personally it is my favorite from our discography,” shared vocalist and guitarist Orven Enoveso. “This album that saw us expand our fanbase. And besides, when The Grey Market Records approached us with the offer to put an album out on vinyl, it was this specific album.”


The Grey Market Records, which used to be an independent shop that sells mostly vinyl, has of late become an indie record label. While it has re-issued album’s such as Rico Blanco’s “Your Universe” and the 7-inch record from Sandwich, “Timelapse” to name a few, The Grey Market Records formally began marking its releases with its logo starting with the release of “Other People” that featured many indie acts such as Soft Pillow Kisses, Megumi Acorda, Cinema Lumiere, and Outerhope among others. 

“Flowerfish” is the 2nd release from the White Plains, Quezon City-based label. 

Chimed in guitarist Ian Zafra, who founded the band: “I always welcome any opportunity that is good for our music and the band. And reintroducing ‘Flowerfish’ on vinyl does exactly that. This means so much to me because the collaboration process was far different from the other albums.

“For example, most of my riffs were ideas proposed by then bassist Simon Nunez and former drummer Jerros Dolino. Their ideas were such that I could not have thought of doing. So it was challenging for me to play and record their suggestions. We fight a lot in the studio but only because we want to come up with good songs. And I hope we’ve achieved that and our fans can validate that.”

Despite “Flowerfish” being their most critically acclaimed album, Sheila and the Insects took somewhat of a sabbatical, although they gigged and released some singles and a video in between their return for their 5th album, “Love or Limbo” in 2018.

It was during the album launch where they were reintroduced to a younger audience at the Summer Noise Festival in Pasig City.

While Sheila and the Insects are ecstatic about the step backwards with the vinyl release of “Flowerfish”, they also realize it pushes them 2 steps forward.

“To be able to share that album in our band’s history and this time for a vinyl audience is a significant achievement for us,” added Zafra. 

“Yeah, we realize that the vinyl community is different from those who go for streaming or those who previously bought compact discs,” piggybacked Enoveso. “So we’re hoping a different set of music fans discover us.”

“We now have a new lineup with only Ian and me from the previous iteration of Sheila and the Insects,” pointed out Enoveso. “We’ve added Czedric Fernandez on bass and David de la Rosa on drums. Plus, we have a new single dropping this summer titled, ‘The Only Way to Dance’ and we hope music fans will like it.”

-Rick Olivares




Saturday, December 10, 2022

Squid 9

Weld




Side A
Blame The Kids
Future Present
Seashore Volunteer
Shiny

Side B
Situation Detector
Statiuonary Trike
Welding Machine
Iiyokan
Takaramono




Squid 9 is a hip-hop influenced band that started out as a studio act and is formed from members of the Eraserheads, Monsterbot and Sun Valley Crew among others. It was soon performing live shows as well. Squid 9 released three albums: "Deleted Scenes", "Kraken Modular" and "Ink Jet". Squid 9 is also part of Electronica Manila and often collaborated with the late Wolfmann+. Squid9 Live is composed of Marasigan on samplers, drum machine and Chaos Pad), Vin Dancel (Twisted Halo and Peryodiko) and Kathy Meneses (Daydreamcycle) on vocals, Buddy Zabala (The Eraserheads, The Dawn, Twisted Halo & Cambio) on bass, keyboards and samplers and Rann Golamco (Drip, Porta, and formerly of Mojofly) on guitars. Marasigan calls his home studio "The Squid Crib".

Squid 9 is Raimund Marasigan's musical adventures away from his bands (Sandwich, Pedicab, Gaijin, Cambio, Eraserheads). Pervious collaborators include Francis M, Vin Dancel (Peryodiko), Kathy Menseses (Daydream Cycle), Sun Valley Crew, Rann Golamco (Drip), Gloc 9 and many other artists by way of remixes and guest tracks. Squid 9 has released four albums: Inkjet Kraken Modular Deleted Scenes Origamidi

Raimund Emmanuel Parcon Marasigan (born May 22, 1971) is a Filipino rock musician and record producer. His first name is often misspelled Raymond or Raimond though he personally prefers to spell his name as Raymund. The breadth of his projects has made him one of the most well-respected mainstays of the Philippine rock band scene. He was the drummer, vocalist and lyricist alongside bandmate Ely Buendia of The Eraserheads, and the current keyboard/synths player for Pedicab, former rhythm guitarist and now frontman of Sandwich, current drummer of Cambio, vocalist of Project 1 and the man behind Squid 9. Currently, he holds bass for his newest band, Gaijin. Aside from writing songs and being a musician, he is also a record producer, voice actor, TV host and product endorser.


-wiki



Lampano Alley

Songs From The Alley





Side A
Losing You
You've Got A Hold On Me
Alley Song
Major Fool
I Get Weary

Side B
Trouble
I've Got The Blues To Keep Me Warm
Barking Up The Wrong Tree
Mess It Up
Ganyan Lang


Whatever the founder and chief-instigator, Ray "Binky" Lampano, Jnr., of Asia’s mighty blues band Lampano Alley played before the Blues was a matter of convenience not conviction – not that he didn’t already suffer for the music. More than a band, Lampano Alley is a long drawn-out process. An epiphany alone cannot explain it; rather, something more akin to pulling teeth.

Lampano grew up on a staple of gospel, rock, folk, jazz standards, and Manila AM-radio programs, whose narratives became grist for the mill of his imagination. Long before Lampano became a cult-figure in the Manila alternative music scene in the ‘80s, he was always fascinated by stories behind music from the time the Blues was but a distant chug.

In the '70s, the Blues in the Philippines funneled through the hyper-decibels of Pinoy Rock where it was, by and large, a mere frame of reference than a way of life. The movement itself became almost as distant a memory in the 80s even as the Blues became a sideshow for pointless jams.

In the late-'80s, Lampano was already restless and already hearing-impaired after a few years in the trenches of alternative music. A lukewarm solo album in the 90s signaled 180-degree turn to the Blues. Chance collaborations with like-minded musicians – like the amazingly funky pianist-keyboardist Butch Saulog – divined strains of a dream band, if yet still largely amorphous. Around this time, Lampano began to amass a collection of blues and jazz oddities, and soak in their sounds.

Lampano met Asian Development Bank executive and blues harpist Thomas "Tomcat" Colvin one fateful night in 1992 over the old jazz-blues tune Since I Fell for You. This led to the formation of the acclaimed blues-jazz-rock supergroup, the Newly-Industrialized Combo (NIC). Not long after it made the cover of the Philippine Daily Inquirer Sunday Magazine in March 1993, the NIC went the way of supergroups that succumbed to the weight of their own design.

Unfazed by the setback, Lampano went into hibernation to nurture full-time the thought of his imaginary band and internalize its future dynamics. The idea was simple: the Blues was the brush, the band was the palette of colors, and the thin air was the canvas - the aim was to be felt and not heard.

Members of the imaginary group were eyed at jam sessions and gigs. Guitarist Edwin "Kwachi" Vergara and bassist Simon Tan were the first candidates. Vergara was an acquaintance from Lampano's alternative music days whose impressive style went beyond the categories of the time. Tan, who switched from guitar to bass in the late-'80s, was a very thoughtful player whose style was as egoless as it was authoritative.

Lampano left for the U.S. in 1994 intent on a return to form the imaginary group. In the concrete jungle of Los Angeles, the soundtrack was gangsta' rap and grunge on its last legs. Fortunately, he fell in the company of musicians from the doo-wop era and was introduced to the modern chitlin' circuit. The music sessions set up in storefronts and dives in Crenshaw District, where $5 gets soul food and good music, became a laboratory for musical ideas. Lampano wrote his Manila cohorts regularly to bounce ideas and outline future musical plans.

By 1996, the stage was already set for a comeback. Upon his return, he hit the ground running with a series of meetings with Vergara and Tan, who brought along the up-and-coming drummer Jojo Lim. Rehearsals and gigs followed soon after through the help of old friends and associates in the scene.

The still nameless group first saw action in mid-1996 at Jim Turner's musical landmark - The Hobbit House - in Ermita, alongside fellow believers, The Blue Rats, amid skeptical initial reception. Colvin joined the band shortly and became a permanent fixture when he retired from his cushy job to fulfill a lifelong ambition to play music fulltime. He was instrumental in naming the band Lampano Alley – a tribute to the alleys of Pasay City, where Lampano grew up and that Colvin first encountered while working for the Asian Development Bank.

With nothing but blues standards and an adherence to musical dynamics – hitherto unexplored in a local music scene dedicated to stentorian musical dramas – Lampano Alley soon caught fire. It wasn’t so much the musical material that mattered than how it was played with just as much fire and passion at quite moderate levels. The band’s restrained interplay was and still remains the stuff of legend. On one turn, the listener can almost hear a pin drop; on the next, an incendiary burst of sound to punctuate a blues statement that leads to another dramatic silence.

The crack rhythm section of Tan, Vergara, and Lim with Colvin on harp allowed Lampano to push the musical envelope and explore the personas that always informed the Blues – the preacher-charlatan, the social commentator, the snake-oil salesman, the stand-up comic, the man down-on-his-luck, the hard-nosed philosopher, and the street fighting man.

The ironies were always cleverly disguised as Lampano and Colvin traded one-liners and commentaries about everything under the hot Philippine sun against the even hotter poker-faced rhythm section. The Blues in the Philippines was never the same again!

Several performances at the Concert at the Park, Martin Late at Night, radio and television guest spots, and the release of its album Songs from the Alley later, Lampano Alley achieved a status yet attained by a "blues band" in the Philippines.

Despite Lampano’s departure in late 2000 for an extended stay in the U.S., Lampano Alley still reconvenes regularly for special reunions and music festivals. They reunited for the 2003 Fete de la Musique Festival in Manila, and Singapore’s Mosaic Music Festival in 2005 and 2008, where old and new audience alike witnessed and experienced the undiminished strength of their music.

-wiki, last.fm













Whatever the founder and chief-instigator, Ray "Binky" Lampano, Jnr., of Asia’s mighty blues band Lampano Alley played before the Blues was a matter of convenience not conviction – not that he didn’t already suffer for the music. More than a band, Lampano Alley is a long drawn-out process. An epiphany alone cannot explain it; rather, something more akin to pulling teeth.


Lampano grew up on a staple of gospel, rock, folk, jazz standards, and Manila AM-radio programs, whose narratives became grist for the mill of his imagination. Long before Lampano became a cult-figure in the Manila alternative music scene in the ‘80s, he was always fascinated by stories behind music from the time the Blues was but a distant chug.


In the '70s, the Blues in the Philippines funnelled through the hyper-decibels of Pinoy Rock where it was, by and large, a mere frame of reference than a way of life. The movement itself became almost as distant a memory in the 80s even as the Blues became a sideshow for pointless jams.


In the late-'80s, Lampano was already restless and already hearing-impaired after a few years in the trenches of alternative music. A lukewarm solo album in the 90s signaled 180-degree turn to the Blues. Chance collaborations with like-minded musicians – like the amazingly funky pianist-keyboardist Butch Saulog – divined strains of a dream band, if yet still largely amorphous. Around this time, Lampano began to amass a collection of blues and jazz oddities, and soak in their sounds.


Lampano met Asian Development Bank executive and blues harpist Thomas "Tomcat" Colvin one fateful night in 1992 over the old jazz-blues tune Since I Fell for You. This led to the formation of the acclaimed blues-jazz-rock supergroup, the Newly-Industrialized Combo (NIC). Not long after it made the cover of the Philippine Daily Inquirer Sunday Magazine in March 1993, the NIC went the way of supergroups that succumbed to the weight of their own design.


Unfazed by the setback, Lampano went into hibernation to nurture full-time the thought of his imaginary band and internalize its future dynamics. The idea was simple: the Blues was the brush, the band was the palette of colors, and the thin air was the canvas - the aim was to be felt and not heard.


Members of the imaginary group were eyed at jam sessions and gigs. Guitarist Edwin "Kwachi" Vergara and bassist Simon Tan were the first candidates. Vergara was an acquaintance from Lampano's alternative music days whose impressive style went beyond the categories of the time. Tan, who switched from guitar to bass in the late-'80s, was a very thoughtful player whose style was as egoless as it was authoritative.


Lampano left for the U.S. in 1994 intent on a return to form the imaginary group. In the concrete jungle of Los Angeles, the soundtrack was gangsta' rap and grunge on its last legs. Fortunately, he fell in the company of musicians from the doo-wop era and was introduced to the modern chitlin' circuit. The music sessions set up in storefronts and dives in Crenshaw District, where $5 gets soul food and good music, became a laboratory for musical ideas. Lampano wrote his Manila cohorts regularly to bounce ideas and outline future musical plans.


By 1996, the stage was already set for a comeback. Upon his return, he hit the ground running with a series of meetings with Vergara and Tan, who brought along the up-and-coming drummer Jojo Lim. Rehearsals and gigs followed soon after through the help of old friends and associates in the scene.


The still nameless group first saw action in mid-1996 at Jim Turner's musical landmark - The Hobbit House - in Ermita, alongside fellow believers, The Blue Rats, amid skeptical initial reception. Colvin joined the band shortly and became a permanent fixture when he retired from his cushy job to fulfill a lifelong ambition to play music fulltime. He was instrumental in naming the band Lampano Alley – a tribute to the alleys of Pasay City, where Lampano grew up and that Colvin first encountered while working for the Asian Development Bank.


With nothing but blues standards and an adherence to musical dynamics – hitherto unexplored in a local music scene dedicated to stentorian musical dramas – Lampano Alley soon caught fire. It wasn’t so much the musical material that mattered than how it was played with just as much fire and passion at quite moderate levels. The band’s restrained interplay was and still remains the stuff of legend. On one turn, the listener can almost hear a pin drop; on the next, an incendiary burst of sound to punctuate a blues statement that leads to another dramatic silence.


The crack rhythm section of Tan, Vergara, and Lim with Colvin on harp allowed Lampano to push the musical envelope and explore the personas that always informed the Blues – the preacher-charlatan, the social commentator, the snake-oil salesman, the stand-up comic, the man down-on-his-luck, the hard-nosed philosopher, and the streetfighting man.


The ironies were always cleverly disguised as Lampano and Colvin traded one-liners and commentaries about everything under the hot Philippine sun against the even hotter poker-faced rhythm section. The Blues in the Philippines was never the same again!


Several performances at the Concert at the Park, Martin Late at Night, radio and television guest spots, and the release of its album Songs from the Alley later, Lampano Alley achieved a status yet attained by a "blues band" in the Philippines.


Despite Lampano’s departure in late 2000 for an extended stay in the U.S., Lampano Alley still reconvenes regularly for special reunions and music festivals. They reunited for the 2003 Fete de la Musique Festival in Manila, and Singapore’s Mosaic Music Festival in 2005 and 2008, where old and new audience alike witnessed and experienced the undiminished strength of their music.


-wiki, last.fm

Saturday, December 3, 2022

Parallel Uno

Parallel Uno




Side A

Big Bang
Santierra Sojourn
Latin Linggo
Spiritual Base
It's A Swing Thing

Side B
Run It Down
Ang Mundong Gabi
Bukang Liwayway
Biologic 2020
Yan Ba'y Kasalanan
Outro


Pinoy funk-jazz muso Paolo Garcia becomes Parallel Uno: “Blazing new paths is the artist’s way”

The artist formerly known as Pasta Groove talks his turbulent 2020 and honouring his father and uncle’s musical legacy in Hotdog

Paolo Garcia had a rough 2020, even by COVID standards. Around this time last year, Taal Volcano erupted, blanketing the Filipino musician’s Laguna home in thick ashfall. Days after the volcanic fury, his father died. And two months later, the pandemic broke out.

His work didn’t fare much better, either: the lockdowns cancelled virtually all his live gigs, shrunk his time with collaborators, and drove him out of sound studios and back to the corners of his home.

So it’s a miracle that Garcia managed the music calendar he did last year. He produced ‘Muling Kagat’, a remixed rarities album of songs by Hotdog, the famed disco-funk band credited with birthing the Manila sound genre – and the group whose founding members happen to be his dad Dennis Garcia and uncle Rene Garcia.

Garcia then naturally took part in the multi-artist tribute concert that spun off that album. And last month, he entered a new artistic phase as Parallel Uno, releasing an eponymous 11-track album. And here we are, talking mere days after Garcia’s 35th birthday and a week before his dad’s first death anniversary.

“I like to consider myself a victor or survivor who kept busy and managed to overcome the circumstances of 2020, coping by constantly creating,” Garcia tells NME. The multi-instrumentalist and producer has amassed a cult following of music fiends and geeks after over a decade of making trippy beats as Pasta Groove – a play on a nickname given to him by a fellow musician. “I got the name from Allen Umali of Sino sikat who used to call me ‘Pastor Groove’.”

Garcia grew up listening to hip-hop, and began collecting vinyl at the age of 15. (He estimates his collection at 10,000 records, “from Brazilian music to Italian soundtracks to OPM to hip-hop to electronic to dance music to jazz to soul”.) He officially debuted in 2008 with the album ‘The Distinktive Sounds Of Pasta Groove’ – which is authoritatively titled, but now feels ancient, he says. “Back then the recipe was a mix of soul, jazz, funk, with neo-soul being the most prominent.”

Twelve years later, he’s decided to “close the chapter of that sound” and continue the journey as Parallel Uno – a name that also came from a friend, frequent collaborator Armi Millare of UDD. “It was a project we were supposed to do that never transpired. I thought it sounded cool so I decided to use it. Easy peasy!”

Garcia considers this new artist incarnation a “rebirth and step forward” in his music. The eponymous album still offers a sampling of his core tastes – soul, jazz, funk – “but with a hint of exotica, neo-kundiman perhaps?” he muses.

Kundiman is a genre of traditional love songs written in Filipino. These sentimental lullabies are capable of rousing deep sadness or inexplicable warmth, which carries through in tracks ‘Yan Ba’y Kasalanan’ and ‘Bukang Liwayway.’ UDD’s Millare, as it happens, also lends her vocals to another track.

In fact, ‘Parallel Uno’ is a veritable party, as it includes contributions from 20 other musicians from wide-ranging disciplines and genres. These include veteran blues bassist Simon Tan, Side A drummer Mar Dizon and composer-performer Krina Cayabyab.

Featuring jazz trio Baihana and a cappella group ConChords, ‘Yan Ba’y Kasalanan’ is a “heavy and heartfelt” tune, Garcia says. “Krina also sang on the ‘Muling Kagat’ album for the song ‘Pilipino’ – which is light and bubbly. I was joking with her that we covered both joy and pain this year with these two tracks!”

Garcia played drums, bass, keys and synths on ‘Parallel Uno’, but what stands out is the way he marshals a variety of samples throughout the jazzy, head-bobbing record. The skill and care that goes into selection and sampling may be lost on local traditionalists, Garcia agrees.

“I guess sample-based music has always gotten a bad rep because of copyright issues, etc. But what people need to understand is that the art form goes beyond just two-bar loops. When you can sample fragments of bits and pieces from many different sources it becomes more like sound collages,” Garcia says.

“Capturing the moments and stubborn determination in the mixing and mastering process is what it’s all about. I’d like to say 50 per cent is strategy and the other 50 per cent is magic.”

It’s magic with the occasional dab of humour: Millare’s vocal improvisations sail smoothly on the instrumental ‘Latin Linggo’, but elsewhere you can hear an snippet of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte expelling a reverberating “Fuck you”. Amid the colourful collages, there’s also a remix of ‘Bukang Liwayway,’ a ’70s song which speaks of a longing for dawn—a kundiman if we ever heard one, or as Paolo puts it, neo-kundiman. “The song was written by my dad for Celeste Legaspi. A tune she wrote for her daughter in her womb while she was pregnant.”

Speaking of his dad – what were the best and worst parts of having a music maverick for a father? “The most difficult is being referred to as ‘Anak ni Hotdog’ (‘Hotdog’s son’),” Garcia says, laughing. “But the most satisfying was being able to travel the world and experience different cultures. Dad was all about that.”

It feels apt, then, that Hotdog’s legacy was celebrated last month in a tribute concert that also showcased the cultural vibrancy of Manila. ‘Hinahanap-Hanap Kita Manila’ featured the likes of Bing Austria, Ebe Dancel and IV of Spades’ Blaster Silonga breathing life into Hotdog’s nostalgic, toe-tapping hits, their performances filmed around the Philippine capital and streamed virtually.

The virtual celebration might not have happened without ‘Muling Kagat’, Garcia says. “There were really plans for a [live] tribute concert and then COVID happened, so it got shelved. ‘Muling Kagat’ sparked the idea which led to the tribute concert put together by the National Parks Development Committee. It was a great way to honour my father and uncle’s legacy.”

This year, Garcia will be busy pressing both ‘Muling Kagat’ and ‘Parallel Uno’ on vinyl (the timeline is flexible, but he says they’ll be done “I’d like to hope in the first or second quarter of the year”). In the meantime, there’s still plenty of satisfaction to be had in streaming ‘Parallel Uno’: a lot of dancing, maybe a bit of crying, and, on occasion, introspection.

To that last point: ‘Parallel Uno’ concludes with an ‘Outro’ featuring a snippet of dialogue from cult Pinoy ’60s broadcaster Johnny Midnight, who talks about “fear of self-annihilation… fear of becoming nothing.” But Johnny suggests, “the secret is self-discovery.” These lines perhaps ring just as true about Paolo Garcia’s work in music so far.

“I am all for blazing new paths within the corners of your mind. This is the artist’s way,” Garcia says. “We must continue to reintroduce ourselves to one another because we are constantly changing. I will continue to evolve as an artist. Being fearless and taking risks is a big part of growth. Take a dip and see how far you can go.”

-Khyne Palumar, NME


Sonnet LVIII

Crossing Oceans



Side A
Carcrash at 95mph
Oceans (And Blue Skies)
Hurricane Aurora
A Perfect Day
Seagull Drive

Side B
Treasure Heaven
Pristine
Granted
Un-hades
Weary



Released January 31, 2020

Gonzalo Alfonso (RIP) - vocals
Dale Marquez - guitars, keyboards, backing vocals
Ron Cajayon - guitars, backing vocals
Romel Cajayon - bass guitar
Elmer Macaraig - drums

Five-piece shoegaze pioneer band Sonnet LVIII is set to drop their remastered album ‘Crossing Oceans’ along with the colored vinyl on December 30, 2019 at the 70’s Bistro in Anonas, Quezon City. From ‘Owe No Homage Unto The Sun’, the band repackaged the album with the help of Jerome Velasco, releasing it as ‘Crossing Oceans’ on the event.

Inspired by Ride, Chapterhouse, The Jesus And Mary Chain, Adorable and My Bloody Valentine, childhood friends Dale, Ron and Elmer formed Sonnet LVIII in 1992. Ron's brother, Romel, and his friend Gonzalo joined a couple of months later. They hung out in Ron's living room and wrote songs incessantly, most of which were about their daydreams and reveries. Those living room sessions were turned a notch higher as the following years went by, where Sonnet LVIII were already playing in numerous clubs around Metro Manila including Club Dredd, Mayric's, Café Romeo and Music Museum and was an integral part of the famed Awakening and No Zone scenes.

 Come 1996, Sonnet LVIII finally went into the studio to record a handful of songs which they hoped would be released soon after. Unfortunately, this wasn't meant to be. However, that didn’t stop them from pursuing their passion and continued to trudge along. In 2000, the band decided to singlehandedly release a 200-copy, sticker-labeled, self-produced four-song CD-EP called "Treasure Heaven". The song and the EP, created quite a buzz in the Manila music scene. "Treasure Heaven" received decent radio airplay, the CD-EP was sold out, and the band won the Best Unsigned Artist from the NU107 Rock Awards. That same year, a live version of "A Perfect Day" was included in "Uno Documento Compilo" from Documento Records. 2003 saw the inclusion of the recorded version of "A Perfect Day" in the compilation Dashboard Teddy version 1.0 from Dorothy Records.

In the subsequent years, Sonnet LVIII played very few gigs here and there. The members lived further away from each other and have been busy with life. However, they haven't lost contact. Sometime in 2011, instead of having all their recordings languish in obscurity, the band announced the digital release of Owe No Homage Unto The Sun, a collection of all the songs they recorded in the mid-1990's. However, it felt like an imperfect ending.

In 2017, Gonzalo passed away unexpectedly. The remaining members, though deeply devastated with the loss, became closer than ever before. Thus the reunion/album launch for Crossing Oceans this 2019.
-rakista radio










Brass Pas Pas Pas Pas

Greatest Hits




Side A
Brass Pas Tono
Hot Jazz feat Bing Austria
Yonip
Ansabe
Spongebob Meets Satan

Side B
Chili Garlic Buttered Shrimp
I-gurfriend
Kumper
Yatap feat Kat Agarrado
Ala-Stress





Brass Pas Pas Pas Pas is a 10-piece, sometimes 11 to 12-piece, big band which plays an eclectic mix of different music genres. Their music ranges from Jazz, Swing, Blues to Soul Disco-Funk to Modern/Contemporary groove music.
The band members come from the finest bands in the Philippines such as Radioactive Sago Project, Pupil and Barbie’s Cradle, Sinosikat?, Bamboo, among others. 

RHYTHM SECTION: Wendel Garcia -Drums and Vocals Francis De Veyra - Bass (Musical Director) Nikki Cabardo - Keyboards Kakoy Legaspi - Guitars HORN SECTION: Wowie Ansano - Trumpet Pards Tupas -Trombone Roxy Modesto -Baritone Saxophone Joseph Cabanero - Alto Saxophone Jeric Sta. Ana - Trumpet Resident Guest Singers: Mike Luis Bing Austria





Sunday, November 27, 2022

Jukebox Hits

 Jukebox Hits





Side A
Eternally - Victor Wood
My Pledge of Love - Edgar Mortiz
Forbidden - Norma Ledesma
Love Me Now And Forever - Romeo Miranda
You Don't Own Me - Jeanne Young
Pangako Sa 'Yo - Geraldine
I Am A Soldier - Lew Soratorio

Side B
Memories of Our Dreams - Eddie Peregrina
Rain - Boy Mondragon
I'm Sorry - Neddie Decena
So Lucky - Julius Obregon
Superstar Ng Buhay Ko - Nora Aunor
Maria Leonora Theresa - Tirso Cruz III
Sixteen - Vilma Santos









Ayos Ba! Vol 1

 Ayos Ba! Vol 1





Side A
Golden Lady - Alex Roldan
Don't Touch Me - Dale Adriatico
Smile - The New Minstrels
Dance With Me - Ed Corpuz
Babae -Jakiri
Highways of My Life - Lerma dela Cruz

Side B
The Arrival - Dale Adriatico
Aso't Pusa - Pat Castillo
Nasingitan - Rico J. Puno
Sabado - Celeste Legaspi
Back Together Again -SueSherrie
Feel The Same Way - Black Forest
Saying Goodbye -Ray-an Fuentes





Alert Level

 Alert Level 12"





Side A
Black Mercedes Benz -The Breed
I Need You Here -Color It Red
Apocalypse -The Breed
It's Called Love -Color It Red
Free -The Breed

Side B
Kapayapaan - Tropical Depression
Internal Revenue Man - Rizal Underground
Alaala -Tropical Depression
Powder Or Lotion -Rizal Underground
Bilog Na Naman Ang Buwan -Tropical Depression



 Alert Level 7"

Side A
Papadom -Tropical Depression
Mushy Song -Color It Red

Side B
Rollers On Her Hair -Rizal Underground



“Alert Level” showcased bands that didn’t sound like they belonged to one genre – the Breed, Color it Red, Tropical Depression, and Lu’s new outfit, Rizal Underground who each contributed three songs to the album. They underscored that there was a healthy and thriving alternative music scene.

The Breed were heirs to the so-called hard coño rock of Petrified Anthem. Color It Red sounded like it was a Mammoth Records outfit that was one of the purveyors of the alternative sound sweeping the world. Tropical Depression made a huge case for reggae with a distinct Filipino island sound. And Rizal Underground that was a blues rock laced outfit with a knack for melody.

“At that time, Color It Red had the Quezon City crowd from Red Rocks and Club Dredd,” recalled Lu who in a previous incarnation sang with the rockabilly outfit, the Runaway Boys. “The Breed had the Makati and Kalye audience while Tropical Depression brought in the Mayrics people. I had formed a new band, Rizal Underground. So you can say that the bands we chose were not only the smart bets as they all had their own sets of fans but also for strategic purposes.”

The biggest challenge for Lu wasn’t getting the album (that was released in cassette form) to sell but finishing the recording and the post-production. All the bands dutifully put in their time and were highly cooperative. The problem, however, was Metro Manila was oft plunged into paralyzing 12-hour brownouts.

“Bands were hanging out at the studio from 12 midnight to 6 or 7 in the morning because that was the only time where we had electricity,” recalled Lu. “This gave everyone ample time to bond and to work on their repertoire.”

If the Eraserheads lit the fuse, “Alert Level”, apropos in its title in more ways than one, was like pouring gasoline into the conflagration. The record companies definitely took notice. 

Color it Red went to Alpha Records released several records and scored some pretty big hits including the mournful anthem, “Paglisan”. The Breed produced two albums under Dyna and paved the way for other labels to sign hard rock acts, such as Wolfgang, Razorback, Battery, and Backdraft to name a few. Tropical Depression came out with a couple of albums under Viva and scored a scene defining hit in “Kapayapaan”. And lastly, Rizal Underground was snapped up by Polycosmic Records and later detonated one of the biggest hits of the 1990s with “Sabado Nights”. 

What makes “Alert Level” a watershed mark in Filipino music was it was independently produced; no one had to compromise their sound. 

Twenty-five years after the release of “Alert Level”, only Color It Red and Tropical Depression still perform although with vastly different lineups. A few members of Rizal Underground and Tropical Depression have merged to form the Rockoustic Blues Experiment. As for the Breed, they broke up following the untimely passing of guitarist and chief songwriter, Manny Amador.

Now the Philippine alternative music scene? It’s healthier than ever. There are more rock clubs around today than in 1992. In spite of the digital revolution, the band scene is thriving with independently produced albums released with regularity. And even more telling is that quite a few of them are on vinyl!
“I think with the newfound excitement of the Pinoy music scene and the return to prominence of vinyl, it seems timely that we’ll be celebrating the re-release of “Alert Level,” shared Lu. “Many people are still looking for it and it has become a prized find especially for Filipino music fans.”

The re-release is on glorious vinyl courtesy of Bong Cabral and Plaka Express (you may order through their Facebook or website plakaexpress.com) with the tracks fully remastered by Shinji Tanaka. And who knows lightning just might strike twice.

-Rick Olivares






Locked Down Since 2002 Volume One

 Locked Down Since 2002 Volume One





Side A
Peaceful Gemini - Warrior Princess
Ciudad - The Circuit Has Been Closed
Tarsius - Bulaga 2000
Monolog - Traffic
Bryan, Kars at ang Yunyon - Malayo Layo
Space Ta - You'll Never Be Mine

Side B
Squid 9 - Coach Don
Guerrero Valderama - De Lata
Ill=J - Differences
Sun Valley Crew - Keep On Falling
Flying Ipis - Gamot




Backspacer Records in collaboration with Locked Down Entertainment, present Locked Down Since 2002 Volume One, pressed for the first time on Transparent Baby Blue Color vinyl.

Remastered for vinyl by Shinji Tanaka at Kodama Studios

Artwork design by Raizel Go












Other People

Other People



Side A
Carnival Park - This Feels Like Summer
Outerhope - Out To Sea
Cinema Lumiere - Love
Apple Otchard - Is There an End to The Bad Days?
Fantasy Light - You're My September
Megumi Acorda - It's Only Love
The Wentletraps - Most Gorgeous Spillage

Side B
Days Like Post Cards - Whispers and Raindrops
Balloon Derby - Lorraine
Gol;den Teardrops - There's No Need To Doubt It
Archaster - Kiersten's Song
UJU - I watch You Go
Memory Drawers - Maybe
Soft Pillow Kisses - I Don't Know What To Say



14-track compilation featuring music by Filipino bands such as Soft Pillow Kisses, Carnival Park, Archaster, Days Like Postcards, Apple Orchard, Fantasy Lights, Outerhope, Balloon Derby, Golden Teardrops, The Wentletraps, Megumi Acorda, Cinema Lumiere, Memory Drawers and UJU.

Other People is the debut release of The Grey Market Records.














Another Day, Another Time

 Another Day, Another Time





Side A
Imagination - Acidrain
Far Away - Peach Fantastic
I Met A Girl Who Wreck'd My World - Far Out
Reasons - Fight Withouit Loss
5MM Represent - 5MM

Side B
Your Last Night - Anti Trust
Shattered - Fallout
Tuloy - Glenn Jacinto
Only Me - Superproxy
Don't Tell Lies - Monster Turned Machine
Erbe - Pink Table




Azusa, California's Schizowerkz, presents a 'lokalpinoy' compilation featuring 11 Filipino-American artists from Los Angeles, San Francisco & Las Vegas.
Pressed on 140g Transparent color vinyl, limited & numbered to 250 copies only
Premastered for vinyl by Jerome Velasco (of Teeth/Pupil)
Exclusively distributed in the Philippines by Backspacer Records.



Sleeper's Paradise

Sleeper's Paradise





Side A
Goodleaf - Explosion
Singkopado Sound System - Higher
Steadymovin Beat -Dead Pixel
Dreadknot Used -Urban Madness
Junior Kilat -Lantay

Side B
Coffeebreak Island -Walang Hanggan
Kalookan Dub Kolektive  -Sound Killer
Stony Fingers -Wandering Arounbd
Lady I -Meditation
Red-I -Jah Works





There is the release on vinyl of “Sleeper’s Paradise”, a 10-track compilation of some of the Philippines’ most talented reggae, ska, and dub artists today.
Not since the compact disc compilation albums of “Doobie Nights” in 2006 and “Island Riddims” in 2004 by Galaxy Records has there been a compilation release of Filipino takes on one of Jamaica’s finest exports - music.

“Sleeper’s Paradise” is a labor or a dream of love by The Grey Market Records’ head honcho Jay Amante, who in 2021 expressed releasing music by local reggae bands. 

The result is “Sleeper’s Paradise”, featuring Goodleaf, Singkopado Sound System, SteadyMovin’ Beat, Dreadknot Used, Junior Kilat, Coffeebreak Island, Kalookan Dub Kolektive, Stony Fingers, Lady I, and Red-I on glorious vinyl with arresting cover art Louie Cordero.

The cover shows art of a person picking his nose, a subtle way of saying this music is going against the grain of traditional music releases.

Edy Varde of Goodleaf who served as coordinator for the album agrees. 

“Halos lahat ng artist line-up maliban kay Red-I, ay first time on vinyl,” bared Varde. 
“It is the hope of all artists to have their music on vinyl. It’s like a person thinking of writing a book. Except music-wise, na-immortalize music nila. At hindi noticeable yung bands. Wala sila sa limelight but the quality of the music is there. Dahil dito sa ‘Sleeper’s Paradise’, nagkaroon ng confidence yung artists at na boost morale – may value music namin. 

“We are usually more recognized outside the Philippines. So the fact that pinansin kami ng The Grey Market Records means a lot.”

“Island Riddims” and “Doobie Nights” had these tracks that are strong and iconic. “Island Riddims” featured their stylized version of the Juan dela Cruz Band’s “Ang Himig Natin” with a lovely cameo by Joey “Pepe” Smith and Jr. Kilat. There was Enchi’s reggae-fied version of Yano’s “Tsinelas” and Skabeche’s beautiful “Part of Me.”

“Doobie Nights’ ” stellar tracks included “Boogieman” by the Spaceflower Show, “Sister Sinister” from Indio I, and “Ngiti” from Peacepipe. 

And here is why listeners should get this album before it is gone forever (they only pressed this in a limited quantity).

Side A opens with a pair of edgy pieces from Goodleaf and Singkopado Sound System that make sure you will be paying attention to the music. 


“Lumay” from Junior Kilat
Cebu’s Junior Kilat has for almost two decades been writing reggae and dub music in their native dialect of Cebuano. The track they contribute, “Lumay” or “gentleness” in Cebuano, is a mesmerizing instrumental that feels like you’re drawing closer to an oasis with lips parched on a hot day.

It’s got Paul Puti-an and Coffeebreak Island
One of the most underrated musicians in an already underrated scene. He has been a fixture with Coffeebreak Island, the Borrachos, Shuffle Union, Snub Nose, and Todo Pasa. And Paul infuses blue-eyed soul and amazing guitar work into reggae and ska. His gruff voice adds a bluesy touch to his songs. And any time Coffeebreak Island is included - and they chip in the suave and cool “Walang Hanggang” - is cause for celebration. 

Kalookan Dub Kolektive’s classic “Sound Killer” is included
A strong mysterious track that sticks in your consciousness. 

Lady-I as always offers an alluring track
The amazing Lady-I chips in a sensuous song in “Meditation” that nails the ephemeral vibe of reggae. Like a slow, teasing vamp of a song. Feisty, too.

The cool thing about “Sleeper’s Paradise” is this is the first in a possible series of four anthology albums.

Listen to “Sleeper’s Paradise”, and you’ll know that these next volumes cannot come soon enough.

-Rick Olivares


Saturday, November 26, 2022

KJWAN

 KJWAN





Side A

Surface
Boomerang
Slip
Daliri
Bracelet
My Dear

Side B
Someday
Set It
Moving
Backbone
Twilight
Drizzle



Kjwan is a Filipino hard rock band formed in 2003 by former Sandwich guitarist and lead vocalist Marc Abaya and Dicta License bassist Kelley Mangahas.

Long-time friends and former high school bandmates Marc Abaya (vocals) and Kelley Mangahas (bass) got together with fellow Ateneans Jorel Corpus (guitar) and J-hoon Balbuena (drums) to form the band's initial lineup. In 2004, Boogie Romero (guitar), another high school friend and former bandmate of Marc and Kelley, joined the lineup. They released their self-titled debut album in 2004 with their carrier hit single “Daliri” which gained constant airplay on radio stations and television.

Kjwan released their second album, 2StepMarv three years later under Barnyard Music.

The band won Favorite Indie Artist in the local music channel MYX’s music awards night. Their video “Pintura” nabbed “Favorite Guest Appearance” with the help of a seasoned actress, Chin-Chin Gutierrez. They were also featured for a month on MTV Pilipinas in December 2006. They enjoyed a month-long feature as Yahoo Southeast Asia's band of the month and another month-long feature as “Celebrity VJs” in MYX for the whole month of April 2006. They also got nominated in 6 categories in the 2007 NU Rock Awards for Artist of the Year, Best Live Act, Album of the Year, Producer of the Year (with Angee Rozul), Vocalist of the Year (Marc Abaya) and Guitarist of the Year (Boogie Romero). 2Step Marv was a massive success for the band as they cemented themselves with releases that included: Pintura, Sa Ilalim, Shai, Invitation and One Look.

At this time, the band also had the chance to show what Philippine rock is made of to various countries abroad. They headlined HK-Live, in Central, HK back in October 2007 in front of a packed Fringe Club with fans from many different nationalities. HK-Live is a monthly showcase of the Hottest Acts around Asia in HK's Fringe Club. They were also part of the Annual Baybeats Music Festival in Singapore and the HUSH Music Festival in Macau, China.

One of their biggest breakthroughs was winning the grand prize in the Asian and Philippine leg in IKON ASEAN Competition. Held in Putrajaya, Malaysia and watched by hundreds of thousands all over the region, their performance made an impact to the Asian Music Community. Kjwan beat thirty other bands from both the Philippines and in South East Asia.

Kjwan released their third album entitled 13 Seconds to Love. Inspired by the fact that a great song can be determined in just thirteen seconds, the band brought this along in their song writing with love as the common theme. The album was also the first one that was released first on a purely digital format when it was preloaded in official releases of Nokia 5800 XpressMusic in the Philippines, six months before the actual physical release of the album.


Band members:

Current members
Marc Abaya – lead vocals, rhythm and lead guitar (2003–present)
Kelley Mangahas – bass guitar (2003–present)
Boogie Romero – lead guitar, co-lead & backing vocals (2004–present)
Inky de Dios – keyboards, keytar, synthesizers, percussion, backing vocals (2011–present)
Eo Marcos – drums (2012–present)

Former members
Marinito "J-Hoon" Balbuena – drums, backing vocals (2003–2009)
Jorel Corpus – guitars, percussion, backing vocals (2003–2009)
Pao Santiago – drums (2010–2012)

Session musicians
Bryan Makasiar – drums
Wendell Garcia – drums
Paolo Manuel - drums



-wiki

Narda

Discontrillion





Side A

Molotov
Buti Nga
Amg Mtsa
Kay Lab
Gasolina
Halik
100 Taon

Side B
Batang Munti
Wagwagan Love
Mr. Sindak
Duwag
Ikaw Lamang
Golden Boy
Alta Presyon
Kamikazee



Narda is a Filipino rock band, formed in Quezon City, Manila in 2002 by drummer Ryan Villena, bassist Wincy Aquino Ong, vocalist Katwo Librando, and guitarists JV Javier and Ed Ibarra.

Successive line-ups included guitarists Nico Africa and Tani Santos, and keyboardists Jep Cruz and Yaps Estagle.

The band was known as a pioneering act in the Philippine indie rock scene from 2002 to 2007, one of the firsts to have recorded and released their music independently.

n 2021, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the band re-recorded the tracks from Discotillion in time for the album's fifteenth year anniversary, this time with the new eight-piece iteration. Renamed Discotrilion, the vinyl release under Backspacer Records includes four additional and exclusive tracks: "Wagwagan Love", "Mr. Sindak", "Duwag" and "Ikaw Lamang". The vinyl was pressed on opaque pink colored vinyl and is a limited release with 300 numbered copies.

The single "Ikaw Lamang" was released under Island Records Philippines on April 22, 2022.

Discotrillion was mastered for vinyl by Ely Buendia at Crow's Nest Studio. The gatefold album artwork and design, which saw the band as would-be action stars on a hand-painted billboard, was made by China Principe and Rezonate.

The official vinyl release happened on April 23, 2022 at Backspacer Records in Pasig with members Ryan Villena, Wincy Aquino Ong, Nico Africa, Tani Santos, and Jep Cruz in attendance.




Jerks, The

The Jerks Live!





Side A
Reklamo Ng Reklamo
Warning
Isa Pang Kanta
Nukleyar
Sayaw Sa Bubog

Side B
Lupa
Minsan Karaniwang Tao
And He Says
Mad Mathematical World
Tambol



The Jerks is a rock band from the Philippines formed in 1979, and perhaps, is the original alternative rock and blues band in the country. The band has undergone a lot of member changes and notably a lot of the previous members of the band are now certified icons themselves in the music scene. Members like Chickoy Pura, Nitoy Adriano, Jun Lopito, Angelo Villegas, and others have carved names in their respective niches. Other performers who have played with the Jerks are former Put3ska drummer Brutus Lacano as a session musician, and drummer Benjie Santos.

Despite having been formed in 1979, they only released their debut record in 1994 entitled The Jerks Live, released under Gary Granada's Backdoor Records. It was recorded live at the legendary Mayric's bar and showcases the raw, passionate musicality of the band never before put into record. The Jerks also released a self-titled album in the late '90s.

By 1998, Star Music managed to convince the band to record a major label album called Haligi Ng Maynila, produced by ABS-CBN's Gabby Lopez, which gave the band the opportunity to reach a wider audience. This paved the way to the band winning the 1998 NU Rock Award for Best Album and the 1998 Katha Award for Best Rock Song, "Reklamo ng Reklamo".

On October 29, 2004, the band celebrated their 25th Anniversary at 70's Bistro. Musicians like Bayang Barrios, Cooky Chua, Angelo & Mike Villegas, Jun Lopito, Tots Tolentino, Acoustic Jive will join the anniversary.

The Jerks still perform regularly around Manila in bars like My Brother's Mustache Folk Bar near Timog Avenue, The 70s Bistro, Tiendesitas and Route 196 along Katipunan Extension.

On June 2022, the band released a seven-inch extended play "The Jerks EP". featuring three songs that date back to 1981 that were only played on radio and never released on any format[7] and a reissue of "The Jerks Live" album on vinyl