Believing on Original Pilipino Music, Yahoo! supports the Philippine local music industry by spearheading the Yahoo! Rocks.  A music concert hosted simultaneously across Manila, Cebu and Davao last December 8, 2011.  There are 12 Breakthrough Artists that share the stage with some of the country's top music icons including Wolfgang, Urbandub, Pupil, The Dawn and Imago.

Though it was raining, live performances by 50 Acts from various genres including rock, pop, indie, and soul/R&B attracted the crowd of over 30,000 music-crazy fans from across the three cities.  Artists for this concert - both breakthroughs and mainstreams, were selected by Yahoo! viewers via online voting at http://ph.omg.yahoo.com/yrocks.


The final roster of 12 "Breakthrough Acts" were adjudged based on originality which is 40%, musicality which is 30% and chemistry for another 30%.  Judges were led by the Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-aawit (OPM) Secretary General Ding Dong Avanzado.

The list of the final 12 Y! Rocks Breakthrough Acts are...

SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds
Ma. Laurice Jamero, Quezon City
Yield Avenue, Calamba, Laguan
White Sunday, Malolos, Bulacan
Indios, Manila
Penguin, Quezon City
Jeepney Joyride, Quezon City
Stereo Deal, Manila
Row Four, Novaliches
Stories of Now, Makati Ctiy
Paranoid City, Makati City

SM Cebu
FOC Fashion, Cebu City

SM Davao
Highway Drive, Davao City

The list of the Y! Rocks Mainstream Acts are...


MANILA
Wolfgang
Parokya Ni Edgar
Gloc 9
Frnaco
Karl Roy
Urbandub
Wilabaliw
The Dawn
Hijo
Shirley
Pedicab
The Jerks
Pupil
Taken by Cars
Techy Romantics
Paramita
Stonefree
Razorback
True Faith
Sandwich
Callalily
6cyclemind
Tanya Markova
Not So Fast
SinoSikat
General Luna
Somedaydream
Dice and K9
Badburn
Archipelago
Mike's Apartment
Hilera

CEBU
Salamin
Ney
Ebe Dancel

DAVAO
Rico Blanco
Never The Stangers
Greyhoundz


Gladly I was able to attend the mini event before the actual night of the concert.  Lead Vocalist Jet Pangan of The Dawn, Karl Roy, and OPM Sec. Gen. Ding Dong Avanzado was there.  Gave us a taste of what will be the night of the concert.

I have been an avid fan of Noel Cabangon and I have heard most of his simple, meaningful, touching and great music.  Now Noel Cabangon will be having his solo concert themed as "Simpleng Musikero" which really shows to himself.  A simple musician with great and meaningful compositions.

Read more of the story about this solo concert here...

Press Release

Filipino music icon Noel Cabangon is extremely humble, but his music touches the core of many. With a number of record awards under his belt, he is undeniably one of the bestselling music acts in the country today.

On the December 2 and 3 at the Music Museum, Noel is headlining his solo concert billed Simpleng Musikero.

The concert will celebrate Noel’s love for his music. He will perform his hits from his hit albums Byahe and Panaginip, and some memorable songs.

With Bob Aves as musical director, Noel assures everyone that he’ll perform numbers that he doesn’t usually do.

“It will be a musical experience,” adds Noel. “Music and OPM fans are in for a treat.”

Noel will have Diamond Soul Siren Nina, Ebe Dancel and Baihanna as guests.

For reservations call Thirdline at 426-0103 & 436-4325 or Music Museum at 721-6726 & 721-0635.

Tickets are also available at TICKETWORLD. Call 891-9999.

Just got home from an album launch held at ARENA Sports Bar.  The place was not that big but good enough to accommodate a number of people while the band is performing on stage.  Yes, it is a band and to be precise it is an indie band called ARKO.  I'm sure a lot of the readers will raise their eyebrows and wonder who is this band.    Actually when a blogger friend invited me and message me the event I didn't actually easily grasps that it was a rock band not until I came to the venue.

Admittedly, I wasn't familiar with the indie band so this is a great time for me to know them more and hear their music mostly.

Since it was the launching of their 2nd Album entitled "Bitter, Sweet and Even", I, together with the other bloggers get a chance to ask questions about their band.  We also get a chance to get up close with them and ask some more questions that they willingly answers but of course there are some that are off the record.

Why ARKO?  According to them they based it on the arch structure which shows the strength of the band that the more pressure being put on them makes them even stronger.  It was not their first name but from a revision of their first band name which they find it easier to pronounce than their previous name.

ARKO band is composed of four great and talented individuals namely Brian Sta. Ana who plays the guitar, Ivan Raquid on bass, Boyet Robleado on drums and Nathalie Parayno as their vocalist.  I'm not much of a good critic with regards to music but I can say that each  member of the band are great in what they are playing and they exceeded my expectation, especially when I heard almost every song in their album tracks.


The band has been together for 7 years already and they have been through different sides of their life and their life as a band.  For this year it has been one of the good side for them because they were able to release their 2nd Album which was independently produced, one of their songs were already on MYX, and they were the first band to be featured in Fansilog.com. and the band's music video "Sayang" was produced by Fansilog.com.

I'm sure this band will be great and I'll be looking forward for their next step in their career.


Aside from the launching of ARKO's 2nd Album it was also the launching of the Fansilog.com which is a newest music content website solely for OPM Artists and fans.  Artists, bands, and fans can log in and exchange.  Also artists and bands can upload  their songs and videos and let their fans know where their next gig will be and at the same time view exclusive content like interviews, music videos, bootlegs, and versions.

Fansilog.com was conceived by four individuals from various fields, a freelance video producer Frank Lloyd Mamaril, Robbie Ortega who's a Licensed Engineer, Jason Talon an IT Practitioner, and Raul Robles who's  an IT Support Engineer.   Fansilog.com is not yet on it's full blown but expect something good from because everything is made out of their love and advocacy in producing good Pinoy Music to Filipinos.

CHRISTIAN BAUTISTA starred in his first international film A Special Symphony. He is part of the first Pan-Asian musical TV series The Kitchen Musical. He is also the only recording artist to receive a 4x Platinum Record Award for Romance Revisited: The Love Songs Of Jose Mari Chan for 2011. He worked with Grammy-nominated pianist Jim Brickman, K-Pop R&B trio One Way, and fronted for the concerts of K-Pop sensations Rain and 2NE1. He also topbilled jampacked concerts here and abroad. He also has numerous endorsements tucked under his belt coupled with billboards all over the Metro and has consistently won numerous awards and citations.


With all these career highlights, Christian Bautista remains humble expressing and thankful for all these blessings. “Ever since I took the very first steps in my career, I cherished all the lessons and experiences I’ve gained through all those years- the ups and downs, the highlights and the difficult moments. These helped me hone my craft and led me to doors of opportunities. Every recognition that goes my way, favorable or critical comments on my work challenge me to do better because I owe it to my audience that I utilize my full potential,” says Christian with a smile.

It is a dream of many artists and performers to collaborate with some of the most respected people in the international recording scene. But the chance of it happening is pretty slim. That is unless you are Christian Bautista.

Today, Asiansation Christian Bautista adds another feather to his cap as he launches his first international album Outbound.


Outbound features Christian’s collaboration with music producers and artists he met and worked with from the United States, Korea, Japan, Singapore, and Indonesia.

“It’s the first time that we want to try and attempt to do more outside the country. [And] Yes, I’m very proud of this album,” says Christian, smiling.

The album consists of eight songs which is a good mix of slow and upbeat ballads. The first single All That’s Left offers Christian’s new, bolder sound, and further proves that he is more than just a balladeer.

“Slowly nag-build up kasi ‘yan because of The Kitchen Musical. Parang nabigyan ako ng confidence to try something na kakaiba, na mas current na contemporary. So I told myself, sige let’s try this,” says Christian.

While taping for The Kitchen Musical, Christian never stopped to get in touch with some of the region’s movers in the music industry until he met Tat Tong, composer of the anthemic All That’s Left.


In a phone interview, Christian shares, “Tat Tong kasi is a friend of Kewei [Tay]. Kewei and I did a duet for Please Be Careful With My Heart in Singapore. She later on, introduced me to Tat. And then through e-mail, I asked him: ‘Hey! I’m coming up with a new album. Do you have songs?’ So he gave us one [and] we all liked it. After that, we told him na, ‘Okay, make three more! Haha. [And] With Tat Tong kasi, steady lang kami e. We would throw ideas and stuff. And if it doesn’t work out, we would always tell na okay let’s do the thing tomorrow. We write and write and we never stop…”

And write they did. The remarkable results were All That’s Left and the other song Unphotographable.

Tat’s other masterpieces-original songs in Outbound include What Can I Do and his masterful arrangement on Christian’s cover of George Michael’s Faith, which is very special for Christian because it was used in his first big solo number in The Kitchen Musical.

Aside from Christian’s collaborations with Tat, Outbound gathers its noteworthy works with Grammy-nominated multi-platinum instrumentalist Jim Brickman for Never Far Away, the K-Pop R&B trio One Way for Wrong Number, Indonesian songwriter Satrio for the hit song I’m Already King, and with Avex Japan’s amazing Baby M for the lovely duet Sakura.


Christian’s music videos always feature familiar and beautiful female celebrities: from Anne Curtis, Georgina Wilson, Solenn Heusaff, and Angel Locsin (in Beautiful Girl) to Cristine Reyes (in I Remember The Girl) to Paula Taylor (in Tell Me Your Name) to Carmen Soo (in Afraid for Love to Fade) to Angelica Panganiban (in Nakaraang Pasko) to Sarah Geronimo (in Please Be Careful With My Heart).

n All That’s Left, it features CosPlay Queen Alodia Gosiengfiao. When asked what’s like working with her, Christian says, “Alodia’s beautiful, she’s talented, she stayed up with us [from] 8 PM to 8 AM. We danced all night long until 3 AM. It was fun.”

And while it’s apparent that Outbound has drawn him out of his comfort zone, Christian admits that it does not mean he will stop being a balladeer.


“For this album talaga kasi medyo half-half. Half experimental, half-medyo ballad pa rin naman siya. [And] Easy listening pa rin naman. Pero definitely I’m not going to drop the ballads,” he says, smiling. “Kasi siyempre, nagsimula ako sa ballads and du’n naman talaga ako kumportable. So hindi ko p’wedeng iwanan talaga ‘yun.”

As a performer, Christian believes he’s improved, but he’s not reached his peak. “Honestly, I do feel that I’m at my best so far. [But] I just hope I’m not at my best.”

He adds, “[And] As I continue this journey, I have reached another turn on the road ahead. This is the right time to pursue new paths and directions. And there is no better way to begin this new and exciting phase than to share my latest work with you. With your support and a personal sense of renewed energy and devotion, I am ready to face the challenge of the future.”


Outbound is out now in all major record bars nationwide under Universal Records.

TRACKLISTING:
1. All That’s Left
2. Unphotographable
3. Faith
4. I’m Already King
5. What Can I do
6. Never Far Away
7. Wrong Number
8. Sakura

A live performance of Christian Bautista singing "I'm Already King"





Plus signing of his Album.  


Christian Bautista’s Bloggers’ Conference is brought to you by Universal Records in cooperation with Pinoy Magazine and official online partner Orange Magazine TV. Special thanks to Ever Bilena Blackwater.

FREE Christian Bautista “ALL THAT’S LEFT” Ringback Tone! For GLOBE users text UD344 and send to 2332. For SMART users text FALT and send to 2728. Text GetSong[space]6151903 to 2728 for SUN users (P15 for 15 days).

FOLLOW CHRISTIAN BAUTISTA:
Christian Bautista Facebook Fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/xianbautista
Christian Bautista Twitter: http://twitter.com/xtianbautista
The Kitchen Musical Facebook Fanpage: http://www.facebook.com/TKMOfficial

It’s really great experiencing things that you only once seen on TV or on mall tours. Yes, I was one of those people before who only watched from a distance. I watched those people line up just to get their CDs or posters signed by their favorite artist. For some reasons I never did that before. Not until now.

I was fortunate enough to experience and have my CD signed by each of the members of the rock band, Sponge Cola. This was my very first time! The good thing is that I never have to fall in line and wait for long hours just to have my CD signed by the artist. Another good thing about it is that it’s exclusive, casual and cool. No harassed mood!


Yes, I was one of the fortunate bloggers to attend a Blogger’s Night Meet and Greet with the Sponge Cola. Aside from meeting them in person, we also get a chance to hear them sing live. It’s more like a normal school room jam. Some of the bloggers shoot some question to the band which they answered willfully excluding the last question about relationship.

Here’s a press release about Sponge Cola’s latest album and their thoughts about it.


Sponge Cola is the only recording band to reach diamond after Eraserheards for the outstanding sales of Tambay (EP) via Coca-Cola’s summer promo, Sponge Cola scores yet again as the band releases its highly anticipated fourth full-length album titled Araw Oras Tagpuan under Universal Records. But the band is not content to rest on its laurels yet, this is just the beginning.

Composed of Yael Yuzon (vocals/guitars), Erwin Armovit (lead guitars), Gosh Dilay (bass) and Tedmark Cruz (drums), Sponge Cola has always made its presence felt since breaking the local music scene in 2002 via Madonna’s Crazy For You.


In the past nine years, Sponge Cola has gone from nowhere to full-fledged phenomenon on the strength of its three bestselling albums: Palabas (2004), Transit (2006) and Sponge Cola (2008). Only one of the few bands that couldn't help but hit, Sponge Cola went on to producing chart-topping singles such as KLSP, Gemini, Jeepney, Bitiw, Tuliro, Movie, Pasubali, Puso, Ayt!, Makapiling Ka, Di Na Mababawi and so on.

From then on, the band's popularity doesn't seem to be waning. It was evident from numerous awards and citations received by the band. From favorite artist to favorite song to favorite group to favorite rock video to favorite vocalist to achieving gold and platinum awards, Sponge Cola’s rise to full stardom never stops, and it shows no sign of flickering.

In fact, the rocket ride to the top doesn't look as if it's going to end any time soon.


Just recently, Sponge Cola's Tambay (EP) earned the band a diamond record in sales. The band in unison says, "It's a great feeling. We're very thankful. We appreciate the support we get from people."

The band’s new album's title says Araw Oras Tagpuan—date, time, place—Armo said they just wanted to create something that strings our ideas on space, time, fate and choice together.

Yael elaborates, "I like the swagger that the title suggests. It's like ‘Give me a time, date and place and we'll be there.’ But with said swagger, it still feels down to earth, which is I think how are we these days, in my head at least.”

Araw Oras Tagpuan consists of 12 tracks that include massive hits Tambay, Regal and the new hit single Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay. Other songs included are Walang Wakas which became the theme song of ABS-CBN’s series Wansapanatym: Rod Santiago’s Buhawi Jack; New Steel which features Paolo Valenciano of Salamin, Ria Redulla, and Los Magno of Out of Body Special; and Warning featuring Norma Love, Iwa Motor, and Mowmow of Tanya Markova.


In this album, nine out of twelve songs were mainly written and co-written by Yael along with Gosh. It is interesting to note that the collaboration with these artists adds hip hop, new metal, and retro to the band’s definitive music.

In an exclusive interview with BANDS Magazine when asked what the video for Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay is about and what new fans can expect from it, Yael shares, "My brother Yanny who plays guitar for Pupil and sings for Archipelago directed it in Bacolod. As a theater director, he's known for bold, riveting plays, often pushing boundaries and never failing to move. It was our first time to fly outside Manila to shoot a music video. It showcases the beauty of provincial life. And yeah, love."

"I just want them to listen freely and take whatever they want/can from the material, Armo says when asked what they would want the audience to hear within the lyrics of their songs from Araw Oras Tagppuan. Yael adds, “[And] Catharsis lang naman as always."


When asked what happens in his head when he composes – the creative process before he writes it down or put his hands on the guitar – and how his persona plays a role in that process, Yael says, "It depends. Sometimes I play with words, then a persona is formed. Sometimes it's me, sometimes it's someone else. It's usually someone similar to me at least."

"Fall where they may. And then someone figures it out for us. We just write," says Yael when asked if he consciously thinks, "Oh, this will work for us with the market; that will work well with the mainstream"? Or do the songs just fall where they may.

In the latest issue of Pinoy Magazine, correspondent Boy Garchitorena writes that it would be hard to pick singles in this record that throws a lot of possible ones. The record as he puts it screams a resounding "we’re not done!"

The one thing commendable with Sponge Cola is that this group is not afraid to experiment and take the music to different places. True enough.

That’s what Sponge Cola always known for. They are not afraid to experiment and take the music to different places. "This is just how we are. We do whatever we want to go, making music is what we do. We keep it real. [And] We’re all about the fun," Yael says.




And when asked how their values and faith changed in these remarkable years of success, Yael proudly states, "They haven’t, they’ve stayed the same, and we’re still the same people with the same beliefs, fighting for the same principles."

The album Araw Oras Tagpuan is out now in all major record bars nationwide under Universal Records.

Sponge Cola’s Blogger’s Night is brought to you by Universal Records in cooperation with Pinoy Magazine (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pinoy-Magazine-Fanpage/158056554242211), BANDS Magazine (http://www.facebook.com/bandsmagazine) and official online partner Orange Magazine TV (http://www.facebook.com/orangemagazinetv). Special thanks to Coca-Cola Philippines.

To know get updates from the band just visit the Facebook Fanpage of Sponge Cola: http://www.facebook.com/spongecola and Universal Records: http://www.facebook.com/universalrecordsphfanpage.