Is Nathan Azarcon back with Rivermaya?

Mike Elgar, Ryan Peralta, Nathan Azarcon, and Mark Escueta
(Photo taken with permission from Rivermaya Facebook page)

Ever since the departure of Norby David as Rivermaya's bassist, the band has been dealing with a revolving door status in terms of who would be playing the bass duties for the band. One time Rivermaya bassists Nathan Azarcon and Japs Sergio have been filling in quite nicely because both guys are no stranger to the band (With the former being the first bassist and the latter replacing him). But lately, it seems that Nathan had become a regular fixture in the band. Could this be a signal that he has returned home to the first band that ever launched him to superstar status as a bass player?
There is no official statement yet, but for this writer it would seem so. Tried nudging Mark Escueta for a statement and he could only come up with "The Best is Yet to Come!" Quite cryptic mind you, but I am not excited about the possibility that one half of Rivermaya is complete, but rather I am more excited about what Nathan could bring to Rivermaya as it is now.

Stating my case why Nathan Azarcon should be the NEW(OLD) BASSIST of Rivermaya.
In case some of you don't know, Nathan actually co-wrote (with Rico Blanco) the hit song ULAN in Rivermaya's first album. That song continues to stand the test of times that even up to now, whenever it is raining, Ulan never fails to make a radio appearance. He also wrote the painfully soulful ballad IF that was released as a single in Rivermaya's third album "Atomic Bomb". Nathan lasted with Rivermaya for two more albums that left quite a mark in the "It's Not Easy Being Green" and "Free" albums. His songwriting prowess however was showcased with his project band Kapatid, leaning towards blues and funk. And the return of former Rivermaya vocalist Bamboo Manalac would set the stage for Nathan to reunite with him and form Bamboo (the band). Now I personally believe that the musical engine behind the Bamboo band was really Nathan. In the linear notes of all the Bamboo albums, the songwriting credits were credited to the whole band, but I believe the edgier songs in the albums were recognizably Nathan's. Especially those bass driven songs. This can be confirmed when Bamboo band split into two groups, with Bamboo Manalac going solo and Nathan, Ira Cruz, and Vic Mercado regrouped (along with Junji Lerma and Jay-O-Orduna) to form the band Hijo. Bamboo's first solo album was a very different one from his band days, and though in the second album he tried to recapture the magic, I think the songs with Nathan (or even those with Rico) were still the better ones.

Nathan's efforts with Hijo kicked off to a great start. However it is too bad that after their EP, there were no new songs released. Maybe he needed to get himself back in a structured band set-up where he doesn't necessarily have to do the frontman duties most of the time? With Rivermaya as it currently is structured  now, I think this will better showcase Nathan's full skills without having to hog the frontline. And his songwriting skills will be a more than welcome addition to Rivermaya. Will he or will he not rejoin Rivermaya? The plot thickens, and we could only wait with our unsatiated appetite for more new Rivermaya music.

Norby David calls it quits with Rivermaya.

Norby David

In a stunning news that hit the Pinoy local rock scene, Norby David, the bassist/backing vocals of Rivermaya has left the band. Posting a very emotionally charged letter via his Facebook account, David has decided to move on to the next chapter of his musical career after some irreconcilable differences with the band. Below is his full statement taken from his Facebook Page.

What will happen next will be everyone's guess. But Rivermaya has been dealing this kind problem of replacing band members since its initial inception. So this won't be a death knell for the band. Like the very old cliche that the band has been dealing with, "What won't kill you will make you stronger." I personally would want to see Japs Sergio return to the band. But at the rate of how his solo career as Japsuki is blossoming, as well as the demands of being the front man of Peso Movement, this new found artistic independence would probably not make Japs head back to Rivermaya anytime soon. On the other hand, Nathan Azarcon (the original Rivermaya bassist), however should be a smart choice and fit. I'm not too updated with how Hijo is doing or how busy Nates is these days, but it would be nice to see him back with Rivermaya. 

God Speed Norby! May we find you back on track with your musical career with Overtone. 

Rivermaya reunites sans Bamboo in Perf de Castro's 19east gig!

In perhaps the first time in more than two decades the original (or should I say the very first incarnation) Rivermaya has regrouped on stage (sans Bamboo) and I was not present. Being a so called Rivermaya aficionado, I'm pretty darn disappointed that I missed this once in a lifetime event. Had to healed up my stubborn Plantar Wart. So pretty much the next logical thing to do is just catch the whole reunion gig on YouTube. So this Rivermaya reunion gig was masterminded by Perf de Castro, who ironically is the last man to be expected to call up the others to make a reunion gig possible. Perf, if you know the story, left Rivermaya after they released their debut album. Perf is here in the country to do a series of shows as he recently released a new single thru CD Baby. According to Perf, when he called his ex-bandmates, all were game and ready to join him on stage. Rico Blanco (who originally played keyboards before being forced to play lead guitars to replace Perf) went back to his keyboardist role, Nathan Azarcon donned his ax as the original bassist of the band, and Mark Escueta (who continues to play with Rivermaya as a guitarist along with some new members) went back to his drumming chores. Unfortunately, the original "voice" of Rivermaya, Bamboo Manalac was absent. Bamboo is said to be out of the country, thus missing this one night engagement.

The band played five songs, namely 214, Awit ng Kabataan, Ulan, Himala, and Kisapmata. In 214, Rico Blanco took up the vocal chores as he valiantly stood his ground amidst comparisons to Bamboo's original work. Rico is no stranger to singing this song live (as he normally includes this in his setlist during his gigs) but this is the first time you'll hear him sing it with the original arrangements played by the very same musicians that recorded the song for their debut album. The song has been acknowledged as the national anthem of Rivermaya fans, and it always automatically drives the audience to sing along to its chorus. They were also (as expected) titillated to hear Perf do his guitar solo for the song. In Awit ng Kabataan, Nathan Azarcon seemed to have lost a chord or two as he stuttered in his opening bass riffs (as well as throughout the entire duration) of the song. It was said that Nathan seemed to be the most nervous among the four as he now rarely plays old Rivermaya stuffs since he split up with Bamboo. So he had to relearn some chords on the spot. This time, Perf de Castro did the vocal chores and the audience as well as the band themselves had a kick listening to Perf's scintillating guitar solos in the song. In Ulan, the band exhorted the crowd to do the singing as Perf announced that none of them could remember the lyrics of the song (though I doubt it), to which the crowd gamely sang with the band. Hearing Rico's keyboard solo together with Perf's rhythmic guitars is so sweet to the ears. I mean I've never heard both of that together in the various Rivermaya gigs i've attended since Perf left. Nathan even managed to lead the band to twist the song to some reggae araangement.

Curiously, the songs Himala and Kisapmata were singles from their second album which no longer featured Perf on lead guitars. In Himala, Rico again took over the vocal duties and would work the song on the keyboards (a specialty he has been doing for years) with Perf on guitars. Perf had to improvise some chord lines to complement Rico's keyboards. Not to mention that he had to announce to everyone that it was actually Mark's birthday on that day. Kisapmata meanwhile was a free for all jam as the band members kind of let free a sampling of their smorgasbord of talents. But through the entire set, Mark Escueta proved to be the one that held the band together, the glue guy who made sure that the band still sound as Rivermaya as they could be, despite years and years of not playing together.

I had a silly smile on my face while watching the videos on YouTube. I'm sure the crowd was electric in the event proper. I mean, no 90s kid who loves OPM music would not rejoice at the thought that these guys actually played together after more than 20 years. For sure we all have those silly smiles on our faces while listening/watching them strut their stuff. Like taking us into some time machine to relieve those wistful years of the past. The feeling is great (even if I'm reduced to watching videos on YouTube). Now I don't know if this night is a portent of the things to come, but if another night like this never happens again, consider yourself lucky for those who actually witnessed the reunion of Rivermaya (again sans Bamboo) live in person. And if ever there would be another magical night where we could see these guys together on stage again and this time with Bamboo in tow, I certainly will never dare to miss it again. Even if I'll have to deal with another stubborn Plantar Wart again!  

P.S. The video above is one of many that you could find in YouTube, try searching Rivermaya Reunion 19east and you'll see a number of videos uploaded. I also could not post photos of the Reunion gig in this entry as I have yet to ask permission to those who have photos of the event. But I will try to update this entry with Photos once I get a chance to ask permission. Really sucks to miss out an event like this.

Perfecto De Castro reunites Rivermaya sans Bamboo?

Oh my God! Is this really happening? According to Perfecto De Castro (original Rivermaya lead guitarist from their debut album), former Rivermaya members Rico Blanco, Nathan Azarcon, and Mark Escueta (still with Rivermaya) will be joining him for a one night engagement, setting the stage for a Mini-Rivermaya reunion. Too bad though that Bamboo Manalac (original lead vocalist) couldn't join them. See his Facebook post below:

Perf has just released a new single through CD Baby, and what a way to launch the single here in the Philippines by dragging along his ex-bandmates. To the uninitiated, check out the album notes below:

Album Notes

Perf De Castro is the quintessential guitarist’s guitarist. Well-versed in a multitude of musical styles, his affinity with the instrument is evident in everything he does; from unleashing an emotion-laden solo with an overdriven electric guitar, to navigating complex musical counterpoint on his 10-string classical guitar.

Perf, as he is known to Filipino music fans, is best recognized as the original guitarist for 90s Pinoy Rock supergroup Rivermaya. Since his departure from the band he has added numerous credits to his wide and varied list of accomplishments; producing platinum-selling albums by Wolfgang and Marc Velasco, lending his guitar wizardry to Philippine Music Icons Mike Hanopol and Francis M, and garnering awards such as NU 107’s Guitar of the Year as well as from Philippine Music organizations Awit and Katha.

"Guardant" heralds Perf's return to electric guitar shreddom. Its driving and relentless groove provides a burly vehicle for the anthemic meloy and continuously modulating solos. This song is anime-sounding, conjuring up images of hordes of Guardants riding into battle.

I will be downloading a copy of the song soon and will give my thoughts about the song. Do support Perf De Castro as this landmark release would definitely help reintroduce him to the Philippine music scene after a long absence (since he is now based in the U.S.).