Rock Pinoy Music Lives!

Rock pinoy music is one of the most dominant force in the pinoy music scene ever. It covers a lot of genres, including alternative, rapcore, folk rock, heavy metal and even pop. Today, rock pinoy music still continues to dominate the pinoy music charts.

This article tackles on the major modern rock bands from the 90’s up to the early 2000’s.

Rivermaya

Unlike other OPM bands, Rivermaya primarily worked on rock pinoy music which are inspirational in nature. Lead vocalist Francisco Mañalac (a.k.a. Bamboo) departed from the band before the release of their single “Umaaraw, Umuulan”. . He was then replaced by Rico Blanco, who was their previous back-up singer. After Bamboo’s departure was Nathan Azarcon’s farewell from Rivermaya. On the month of May 2007, rumors were circulating that Rico Blanco will be leaving the band. Blanco himself then confirmed it to the world of rock pinoy music.

As of today, a brand-new lineup of members is stated below:

• Jayson Fernandez - Vocals, Rhythm Guitars

• Mark Escueta - Drums and Percussions, Vocals

• Mike Elgar - Lead and Rhythm Guitars, Vocals

• Japs Sergio - Bass Guitars, Vocals
Eraserheads

Eraserheads - Vol. 1 Anthology

Considered as “The Beatles” of pinoy music, with their lead singer Ely Buendia and drummer Raimund Marasigan as the “Paul McCartney” and “John Lennon” of pinoy music, respectively, they have dominated the Philippine airwaves and charts in the 90’s with their string of hits like:

• El Bimbo

• With A Smile

• Pare Ko

• Torpedo

• Ligaya

• Julie Tearjerky

They suddenly disbanded when Ely Buendia left the group. He was then replaced by Kris Dancel, from a rock pinoy music band named “Fatal Posopros”. Out of their success, two albums were made in tribute of The Eraserheads, and both of them were covers done by a number of Filipino artists like:

• M.Y.M.P

• South Border

• Spongecola

• 6CycleMind

Slapshock

In spite of the dominance of other genres in the pinoy music panorama, their first album release in 1998, ‘4th Degree Burn’ gained much success, making itself a platinum-selling one. Their second one, ‘Head Trip’ also went platinum in 2001. ‘Project 11/41’, the follow-up to ‘Head Trip’, was Slapshock’s most successful ever. In fact, it gained much commercial and critical success not just in Philippines, but also in other parts of Asia. Out of the success of their albums and singles, they are the best-selling rapcore act in the pinoy music history.

Bamboo

Former Rivermaya frontman Francisco Mañalac (a.k.a. Bamboo) came back into the pinoy music scene with his newly-formed band. Together with him is bassist Nathan Azarcon, who is also from Rivermaya, drummer Vic Mercado and guitarist Ira Cruz, both from a band named “Kapatid”. Their breakthrough single, “Noypi” (reversed syllabication of “Pinoy”) became a rock anthem among young Filipinos. Their unique fusion of rock, jazz, and sometimes, even blues, made them a unique feature in pinoy music. Here are some of those songs in this kind of music:

• These Days

• Truth

• Much Has Been Said

• Peace, Man

In addition to their unique feature in pinoy music, each instrument has a highlight on each of their songs (e.g. drum solo, guitar solo, bass solo). Some of their pieces are complex in terms of the elements of music structure (e.g. movement, time signature, phrasing), making their music one of the most complex in modern pinoy music, like those songs listed below:

• Hallelujah

• As The Music Plays

• Waiting In Vain

• Probinsyana

These past few months, Philippines have seen several foreign acts like Marroon 5, etc.  Do you think this is stealing the thunder from our local artists?  Is it, or is it?