Saturday, September 1, 2012

Urbandub






Background

[edit]Birth (2001)

Urbandub was first forced to be independent due to the lack of support coming from major record companies. They released their debut album, Birth in 2001. Off of this album, the hit tracks “Come”, "Boy", “Give”, and “Would You Go” would serve as surprise hits in the Philippine music scene. Birth is raw and heavy, with obvious influences of Deftones and other experimental rock bands. Unique, timely and yet experimental, it was something that entertainment scenes around the Philippines needed: a kick start into the future of original music.

[edit]Influence (2003)

With the release of their sophomore effort, INFLUENCE (Lighter Records), Urbandub took on a new form, changing their sound with a new drummer (From Jed Honrado to Jerros Dolino). Jerros continued to record tracks with band, but left sometime in 2003 when he decided to leave for undisclosed reasons. The band then recruited JanJan Mendoza. It was the sound in this album that clearly defined the steps that Urbandub would start to take. INFLUENCE includes radio-released singles such as “Gone” and, their most famous release to date, “Soul Searching”, which won the award as Best Song of the Year in the NU107 Rock Awards 2003. The album also won as the Album Of The Year Award in the NU107 Rock Awards 2004. They also released a single called “A New Tattoo”. They dedicate this song to a former friend Juan Paulo Hidalgo.
During this time, the band also experienced the dangers brought by rival frat/gang wars in Cebu as guitarist John Dinopol was mistakenly shot at by a motorcycle riding headhunter of an undisclosed fraternity. He wasn't in critical condition but his left arm was injured and had to recover for a few months. But Urbandub went on, enlisting Faspitch guitarist Russell Manaloto & Mong Alcaraz of Chicosci to fill in for John, who was still active with the band despite the injury. John recovered in less than a year and even went on to shoot the "A New Tattoo" video and perform live with metal braces on his arm.

[edit]Embrace (2005)

With the 2005 release of the album entitled 'Embrace', Urbandub has proven that there is hope for the struggling artist. With help from their community and the noise they have created, they were able to grab the attention of EMI Music Philippines (now PolyEast Records). Not one to take chances, the band has kept Lighter Records as their management arm and guide. In line with their ideals, EMI allowed them the creative freedom to record their album on their home soil of Cebu. Added to that, they have been able to maintain their independent principles while taking major steps into the scene that has awaited their new sound. Embrace’s singles, “Alert The Armory”, "Frailty", "Endless, A Silent Whisper" and the pop anthem “First of Summer” culled from the third album Embrace, became one of the most played songs on local radio. Serving up the band’s usual host of poetic metaphors through guitar riffs and screaming drums single after single came rolling like Urbandub’s name is glued on top of the charts.

[edit]Under Southern Lights (2007)

After more than 10,000 albums sold, thousands of miles traveled around the country and some dizzying highs and lows, an energized Urbandub returned with Under Southern Lights in 2007.
“We experimented a lot on this album. We also tried to write songs far from the specific genre our fans are used to hearing from us. On this album we challenged ourselves musically in terms of creativity with the riffs, beats and melodies,” Alipe says. “The past albums we worked with a formula, writing songs inside our musical comfort zone, but for this album we tried to personally push the envelope a bit.”
Under Southern Lights, the latest album, boasts 10 tracks of Urbandub’s new approach to their own brand—their brilliance shines throughout a melodious rock tune and diverse songwriting. Alipe shares “We retreated to Cebu City for 2 months just to focus on writing. Then came back to Manila, did some fine tuning to the songs before recording them.”
“The recording was a great learning experience for the band. It was our first time to record with 2 inch tape rather than digitally which we were used to when we were still recording in Cebu. We also were privileged enough to be able to use specific types of equipment that we felt were needed for the songs, like different kinds of amplifiers or synthesizers,” Lalay Lim shared.
Asked about the album title, “The name is our tribute to Cebu City where we come from and where we did most of the writing for the album. It’s also a metaphor for our families in Cebu, being that they’re our inspiration and guiding light,” Alipe said.
The album starts with a shot, with that first single “Guillotine” – an indelible guitar hook and ferocious drums charge forth as Urbandub’s trademark mix of airtight vocal harmonies.
If you have compiled all Urbandub songs into your own greatest hits album, you probably get the impression of “change.” For a band like them, change is never that good. Urbandub is growing but not changing. They may be going to perform in a bigger arena, but they’ll still going to sweat the same. And still be going to produce the songs like we’ve known them for. “We wanna try to reach out to more people with this album,” says Gabby.[1]

[edit]The Apparition (2009)

In 2009, after ending their contract with EMI, urbandub signed with a new label MCA MUSIC and released their fifth and most experimental album entitled "The Apparition".
The writing took place again in Cebu, the band's homecourt, with the band renting a house up the mountains and turning it into a home studio for 2 months. after which, they returned to Manila and recorded again in Tracks Studio with their Under Southern Lights producer Angee Rozul. The first few prints of the album included a cover of Depeche Mode's song "Home", which, along with their cover of Sade's "No Ordinary Love", exhibited the band's eclectic taste in music. The first single off the album was the song "Gravity", a song that carries the band's trademark heavy riffing balanced with melodies and harmonies that are rarely found in Pinoy rock music.

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Thursday, August 9, 2012



Typecast is a post-hardcore band from the Philippines. Originally an underground act, they have surfaced on the mainstream Philippine music scene, while managing to hold on to their underground roots.

Contents

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[edit]Career

Santa Rosa, Laguna was home to New York-style hardcore punk bands since the early 90's. Brought up in a DIY community, the band came together in 1999, initially doing cover versions, after that they started doing their own songs. In 2004, they released their debut studio album, The Infatuation Is Always There, which paved their way to become one of the most influential rock bands in Southeast Asia.[1] With the release of their second studio album, Every Moss and Cobweb, in 2007, the band changed their sound from gritty to melancholic lyrics that turned out to be emo. The band broke into the local mainstream with the single, "Will You Ever Learn", which won Best Song of the Year at the 2007 NU Rock Awards.[2] This success eventually led to the opportunity to open for other popular bands such as Thursday, Shadows Fall, Darkest Hour, Good Charlotte, Saosin, Anberlin, and just recently, All Time Low, Dashboard Confessional, The Used, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Cobra Starship.

[edit]Critical reception

Being the No. 1 Top Artist in MySpace all over Southeast Asia,[3] Typecast pioneered the social networking website as a venue for independent music in Southeast Asia and holds the most number of friends and fans in the area. Having often been mistaken as an American band, even Geoff Rickly of the band Thursday said that the band reminds him of the post-rock band Explosions in the Sky.
They've been reviewed as one of the Most Influential Rock Bands in Southeast Asia according to Magmug.com, an online magazine based in Singapore and Malaysia.[4]

[edit]Discography

[edit]Awards and nominations

  • Nominated: Favorite Rock Video - "Will You Ever Learn"
  • Won: Song of the Year - "Will You Ever Learn"
  • Nominated: Vocalist of the Year - Steve Badiola
  • Nominated: Guitarist of the Year - Steve Badiola
  • Nominated: Drummer of the Year - Melvin Macatiag
  • Nominated: Best Live Act
  • Nominated: Artist of the Year
  • Nominated: Album of the Year - "Every Moss and Cobweb"
  • Nominated: Producer of the Year - "Every Moss and Cobweb"
  • Nominated: Best Music Video - "Will You Ever Learn" (Directed by Pedring Lopez)
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Wednesday, August 8, 2012



Orange and Lemons was a Filipino pop rock band formed in 1999. The band name "Oranges and Lemons" was initially recommended by a former member of the group. Apparently the band was not aware at that time that the name was actually derived from aBritish nursery rhyme and a title of an album by the British band "XTC". So they changed it to "Orange and Lemons".
With a style of retro music combined with alternative rock, the band has become few of Pinoy Rock bands that have definitive sound that separated them from the rest of pure pop and rock. The band's main musical influences ranged from The Beatles and The Smiths, toThe Cure and The Eraserheads.
Orange and Lemons or ONL was a grand and swift crossover story from their humble beginnings as a virtually unknown act in the scene to being independent artists to being artists under major label Universal Records Philippines. Their songs enjoyed massive airplay in radio stations and music channels in the country resulting to the band gaining popularity and winning fans of different ages and backgrounds.
Their hit songs as of 2006 included "Just like a Splendid Love Song", "Hanggang Kailan(Until When)", "Heaven Knows (This Angel Has Flown)", "Abot Kamay (Within Reach)" and the controversial hit song "Pinoy Ako ('I'm Filipino)," which was the official soundtrack ofPinoy Big Brother, Philippines' franchised version of the reality TV show Big Brother.

Contents

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[edit]Band members

[edit]History

[edit]The early years

Clementine Castro and Mcoy Fundales met in high school in the mid-1990s. They found out through participating in school programs and events that they share a common passion for music. Mcoy introduced Clementine to the music of The Beatles and since then jammed songs from the legendary group. At the same time they developed their song writing partnership. The duo formed groups with friends from their province of Bulacan and went through several names such as The Voiz, Sweet Silence, Irony, The Cranes, Mushroom and eventually settled down with Orange and Lemons. The name was suggested by their former drummer. The group got the name because it sounded playful, fresh and catchy to them. Years after they used the name they found out that there is a British nursery rhyme and an XTC album called Oranges & Lemons. Clementine discovered the music of The Smiths in college and introduced it to Mcoy. It was the music of The Beatles and The Smiths combined that created a huge impact on the duo's song writing and playing style.
Brothers Ace and JM del Mundo were in a band called Colossal Youth when they met Clementine and Mcoy in a local bar in Bulacan in 1999. The older Ace, who was playing guitars at that time, was very impressed with the song writing skills of Clementine and Mcoy and instantly became a fan.
Clementine and Mcoy with two other friends were handled by Roldan "Bong" Baluyot of No Seat Affair (a local management, booking and production outfit) when they recorded a two-track demo (She's Leaving Home, Isang Gabi) in 1999 as Orange and Lemons. The song "She's Leaving Home" soon found its way to radio station NU107.5 FM's playlist.
Rap-metal/loud bands lorded the scene at that time and ONL (with their clean, jangly guitar driven, Brit-flavored pop songs) went almost unnoticed. Looking for a label to release the boys' materials became a difficult task.
Out of college and out of work, Clementine and Mcoy decided to put the band in hiatus in 2000 to find day jobs and try different careers.
In 2003, Ace showed up in Clementine's place asking about the band. He urged Clementine to reform it to have the original songs recorded even for posterity's sake. Ace was so determined and steadfast about the idea that he even volunteered to switch from playing guitars to drums to get the band started. It was enough to convince Clementine; he contacted Mcoy and their former bassist to discuss the possibilities. A rehearsal date was soon set. The former bassist, however, failed to show up. Fortunately, JM came along with Ace and was soon jamming with the group on bass. After the jamming session, Mcoy and Clementine decided to have the del Mundo brothers in the band permanently and the new line-up of Orange and Lemons was formed.
The boys soon started arranging and rehearsing original songs that would eventually end up in their debut album: Love in the Land of Rubber Shoes and Dirty Ice Cream.

[edit]Going independent

Clementine and Mcoy contacted Bong Baluyot to once again handle the band. They presented crude demo recordings of the new songs. Bong liked the songs and was convinced that there might be a demand for the band's sound this time around. With friend Boom Jose of the '80s band Violent Playground, they booked ONL in a session to put the songs on record. Ten songs were recorded in three days due to a limited financial budget. After the songs were recorded, Bong once again started scouting around for a label that would take the group in.
The band needed gigs. The boys decided to rehearse their '80s repertoire to get bookings in bars in the Metro. It was again a challenge since acoustic acts and novelty songs were in demand at that time. ONL got their first gig stint in a club in Makati City called Where Else? The band's sense of humor and wit on stage combined with their nostalgic repertoire and excellent original materials soon got people, young professionals in particular, spreading the word. ONL's audience steadily grew.
It was in one of those gigs that ONL met Toti Dalmacion formerly (of Groove Nation, a local music store famous for rare and hard-to-find vinyl records). Toti occasionally spins for the Where Else? discothèque and is known as a contemporary music guru of sorts in the Philippine music scene. He became curious about Orange and Lemons because of their band name since he is a long-time XTC fan. Toti liked ONL's music for its familiar yet new sound. The band soon found themselves indulged in conversations with Toti regarding music, genres and style.
Toti was already toying with the idea of establishing an independent label that he would call Terno Recordings. The label would showcase unsigned and talented Filipino artists with a unique sound and style that could (hopefully) pass international standards. He proposed that ONL be the flagship artist for the label. Opportunities were realized by both parties. A one-album deal was signed.
ONL's 10-track debut album Love in the Land of Rubber Shoes and Dirty Ice Cream was independently released and launched in December 2003.
The album's carrier single "(Just Like) A Splendid Love Song" got radio airplay on NU107.5 FM and would soon after reach the station's number 1 spot in their weekly countdown. Another local station JAM88.3 FM started airing the single and it too went up on the station's charts.
The album created buzz and ONL was now playing in venues across the Metro to a jam-packed crowd hungry for their brand of music.
Orange and Lemons was declared Best New Artist for 2004 in NU107's yearly Rock Awards event.

[edit]Major label success

Bong met with Robert Javier of '90s band The Youth during one of ONL's regular Gweilos Bar Makati gigs. Robert informed Bong that Bella Tan of major label Universal Records Philippines was interested in signing Orange and Lemons to the label. Negotiations went on and ONL found themselves signing a contract with Universal Records in October 2004.
The band proceeded to record a new album — their second and first under a major label. Given more resources and recording time allotment, ONL showed tremendous growth in their sound on the new album.
Strike Whilst The Iron Is Hot was completed and released in June 2005, dishing out successful singles such as "Hanggang Kailan (Umuwi Ka Na Baby)," "Heaven Knows (This Angel Has Flown)," and "Lihim".
One of the band's biggest breaks came with an offer from Philippine media giant ABS CBN Network for ONL to do the jingle/soundtrack for a new series Pinoy Big Brother, the Philippine franchised version of the reality TV show Big Brother. ONL came up with a massive yet controversial hit song called "Pinoy Ako."
Other projects of the band included "Abot Kamay" (a song for a shampoo advertisement) and Blue Moon (their version of the classic track for a movie theme song).
The band launched a repackaged edition of Strike Whilst The Iron Is Hot a few months after it was released to include new songs. The album is now at multi-platinum status.
ONL, backed with hits songs, extensive radio airplay and TV appearances, toured the country for series of successful shows.
The band received numerous awards and citations for their work. In June 2005, Orange and Lemons was featured on MTV Philippines in its Rising Star segment, and in March 2006 they were featured in the "Lokal Artist of the Month" segment. Orange and Lemons were named "Artist of the Year" at the NU107's Rock Awards for 2005.

[edit]Other projects

The release of the acclaimed tribute album of the Apo Hiking Society, Kami nApo Muna, in 2006, where the band contributed one track, gave Orange and Lemons the spotlight again. Their musical talents were showcased once more with the promotion of their rendition of the APO song "Yakap sa Dilim." Judged by critics as one of the best cuts in the 18-track album, the song was played extensively and massively on upscale and mass-oriented radio stations. Mcoy's vocal interpretation and the band's guitar work refocused the public's attention on their musical prowess. Their video of the same song showed more blatantly and without hesitation their own brand of humor, which successfully blended action comedy with slight sexual connotations.
Orange and Lemons once again did their take on yet another Apo song "Tuloy na Tuloy Pa Rin Ang Pasko" by December 2006. The song is used by ABS-CBN for their Christmas station ID.
As a follow up to "Abot Kamay," the band completed a song from UNILEVER Philippines called "Let Me" and was used for another shampoo advertisement.
Universal Records released their third and last album on June 8, 2007 called Moonlane Gardens. Their first single in that album was "Ang Katulad Mong Walang Katulad" and their last single before they disbanded was "Fade."

[edit]Disbanding

It was reported on October 10, 2007 by the Inquirer.net that Orange and Lemons have disbanded. The reason stated was primarily due to differences between band members and their managers. Clem Castro, the then lead guitarist of the band, started his own band after being kicked out of Orange and Lemons. He is currently the frontman of 3-piece Indie Pop group The Camerawalls signed under his own label, Lilystars Records, he formed the band with original Orange & Lemons Bassist Law. The three remaining band members formed a new band called Kenyo.[1]

[edit]Controversies

Allegations have been made that the melody and musical arrangement of their breakout single "Pinoy Ako," also used as theme song in the hit reality show, "Pinoy Big Brother," was stolen after an obscure single dubbed "Chandeliers" by 80's New Wave group, Care.[2]When asked what their reaction was by The Manila Bulletin was "It saddens us because it's unfair."[3] Sony BMG Music Entertainment, owner of the rights to The Care's "Diamonds And Emeralds" CD from which "Chandeliers" came from has yet to issue a statement or take legal actions if it so warrants.

[edit]Discography

[edit]Albums

  • Love in the Land of Rubber Shoes and Dirty Ice Cream [Terno Records] (2003)
  • Strike whilst the Iron Is Hot [Universal Records] (2005)
  • Moonlane Gardens [Universal Records] (2007)

[edit]Tribute Album Contributions

  • UltraelectromagneticJAM - a tribute to the Eraserheads (Huwag Kang Matakot) (2005)
  • Kami nAPO Muna - a tribute to the APO Hiking Society (Yakap Sa Dilim) (2006)

[edit]Other Collaborations

  • NU 107 Super Size Rock (2004)
  • Jack Lives Here (2004)
  • Pinoy Ako (Star Records, 2005)
  • Super! The Biggest Opm Hits Of The Year (2006)
  • Musika Sa Bahay Ni Kuya: The Best Of Pinoy Big Brother Hits (Star Records, 2008)
  • i-Star 15: The Best Of Inspirational Songs (Star Records, 2010)

[edit]Christmas Album Contributions

  • Not Another Christmas Album - JAM 88.3 ("Christmas Daydreams") (2004)
  • OPM Gold Christmas Album ("Tuloy na Tuloy Pa Rin Ang Pasko") (2006)
  • Close Up Season of Smiles ("God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen") (2006)

[edit]Singles

  • She's Leaving Home
  • Just Like A Splendid Love Song
  • A Beginning of Something Wonderful
  • Kailangan Kita
  • Hanggang Kailan (Umuwi Ka Na Baby)
  • Heaven Knows (This Angel Has Flown)
  • Pinoy Ako
  • Abot Kamay
  • Blue Moon
  • Lihim
  • Yakap Sa Dilim (Original by APO Hiking Society)
  • Tuloy na Tuloy Pa Rin Ang Pasko
  • Let Me
  • Ang Katulad Mong Walang Katulad
  • Fade
  • Huwag Kang Matakot (Original by The Eraserheads)

[edit]

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